Swan Princess: Rise of the Forbidden Arts
by Firelord515
Summary: Odette's birthday is today and Derek is having a ball for her, but it gets crashed by a mysterious stranger that claims to know Odette. Who is this man and how does he know Odette? read and find out. this is my first fic so please R&R... chapter 6 (The Truth!) rewritten.
1. Prologue

**Author Disclaimer: ****I own no rights to this story. All characters (excepted for the appearances of new ones added to the story) belong to original creator Richard Rich and Nest.**

Prologue 

In the kingdom of Chamburg, Uberta was preparing for her departure towards her son's kingdom to celebrate Odette's birthday tomorrow. It was late in the afternoon and Uberta was still preparing for her visit. She was going to be staying for a few days because of the celebrations. Derek wanted this to be the best birthday celebration Odette will ever have. But she feels as though he is overdoing things a little because she didn't want him to make a big deal out of it, but he insisted upon it anyway.

Now Uberta is in the middle of going through her jewelry trying to find the necklace that her husband had given to her many years ago. It was the only thing  
she has left to remember him by. A-nd she was getting pretty upset about losing it.

"Chamberlin!" Uberta called out. A few moments later Chamberlin came running into the queen's room.

"Yes, your highness?" he asked nervously.

"Where is my husband's necklace?" she said. Chamberlain could see how upset the queen was. "You know how important it is to me. The king gave it to me the day he left."

Chamberlin immediately went into action and began searching the entire queen's room. He had searched everywhere but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Oh, where could it be?" Uberta cried. Chamberlin was about to say something to comfort her when he caught a glimpse of something shining under her pillow from the lights. He ran over to the queen's bed and checked under the pillow.

"Dear Queen, I think I found it!" Chamberlin said. But before he could pick it up to give it to her, Uberta had pushed him out of the way and immediately grabbed the necklace.

"Oh thank goodness!" Uberta exclaimed, placing the necklace on her neck. "Back where you belong."

Chamberlin stood up from the floor and made his next to the queen. "I'm happy to see you have everything you need your highness." But Uberta wasn't paying attention to him; she was still looking at her necklace. This was, of course, the very same day that her husband had died. It only took a slight tap on her arm from Chamberlin to bring her back to earth.

"Oh Chamberlin," Uberta said, "Would you bring my bags to the carriage? If I leave now I shouldn't be too late." Chamberlin bowed and did as she asked. He lifted the bags that were on the bed, with great struggle, and made his way towards the door. As he was carrying the queen's bag he passed by her window. It caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he made his way to the window. He couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed to look like a light out in the far distance. Night had already fallen so it was easy to spot from the Queen's bedroom. Apparently Uberta had noticed Chamberlin staring in the distance and made her way to the window as well.

"Chamberlin, what are you doing?" she asked him.

"Just wondering what that light is in the distance, dear queen," he answered. Uberta looked out in the distance and saw the light too.

"Oh, probably just another carriage," she said with a knowing voice as she turn away.

"I don't think so, your highness," Chamberlin said. Uberta turned back and narrowed her eyebrows.

"And why is that?" she asked in a stern tone.

"Because three more lights just came out," he said as he dropped one bag and pointed out the window. Uberta, wondering what he was talking about, decided to go back to the window to find that Chamberlin was right. There were now four lights in a row out in the night, one on the left and two on the right of the first light. And as both the Queen and Chamberlin stared at the lights a moment longer, more lights began to show in the dark. There were now a few dozen on the horizon. They both just stared out in the distance with confused expressions on their faces. Then, unexpectedly, the first light in the center began to rise in the sky and grow larger. It was then that both Queen Uberta and Chamberlin realized what those lights were and what was going on now: those were fireballs and that the kingdom was under attack.

The first fireball landed right on top of a house and was immediately set ablaze. It was followed by a shower of fireballs landing all over the town and some were even hitting the castle itself. Then Uberta and Chamberlin heard the warning bells ringing in the town and saw people scattering. Chamberlin dropped the queen's bags and grabbed Uberta's hand and took her out of the room.

"We have to get you to safety, your highness!" Chamberlin said to the queen as they were running down the stairs. As they made their way down the stairs they noticed the guards were making their way down as well to fight off the attackers. They rushed to the main hall where they meet up with the captain of the guard, a young man in his early twenties. He stood in front of the queen and saluted.

"My lady," he said in a tough, authority-like voice. "I'm sending out the troops to hold off the invaders long enough for you to escape."

"Do you have any idea who these attackers are Captain?" Chamberlin asked. The captain frowned and shook his head.

"Not yet, but our main concern is to get the Queen to safety." He turned to Uberta. "The carriage that was supposed to take you away to Prince Derek's kingdom is still out front. If we hurry, we can get you out quickly and safely."

"Thank you Captain," said Uberta. He bowed and led them through the front doors. Uberta was shocked and horrified at what she was witnessing. Her kingdom was burning in front of her. She could hear the screams of her people within the town and tears began to form in her eyes. She was about to reach the bottom of the stairs when a fireball hit the carriage that was there. The whole thing was engulfed in flames, but remarkably, the horses were untouched by it. They ran off in shock and fear. The captain ran off to try and seize one. Although two guards were standing right by the carriage and were blown back from the blast. They were knocked unconscious and couldn't assist.

Uberta made her way to the bottom of the stairs. She could hear the battle taking place in the town. She knew that there was almost no time for her to escape and that she might not make it out alive. Her fears came true when she heard loud yelling and saw a large group of enemy soldiers heading towards her. There must have been at least forty of them. Fortunately a group of guards made it out of the castle in time to intercept the enemy. Both sides clashed. As they fought, these invaders fought as though they had no minds, but fought so viciously.

As Uberta watched the battle take place in front of her, she noticed something strange about these invaders. They did not look like men, more like monsters. They had strange armor and swords and made snarling sounds as they fought. They also had dark green skin and long pointed ears and looked as though they had no noses but the nostrils were still there. Their teeth were sharp as swords and they had the eyes of snakes. She then knew exactly what they were from the stories she heard when she was a kid. They were goblins.

Chamberlin took the queens hand and tried to lead her away when they were cut off by another battalion of goblins. They were now surrounded and had nowhere to go. Uberta looked at the guards that were fighting close by but then realized that they were now overwhelmed. There was nothing that they could do now. Chamberlin and she waited for what was to come next and were horrified. The goblins began to separate to reveal a large man in a black suit of armor with a thick cape behind it, and a large horned helmet and glowing red eyes. They both know who he was. Both Uberta and Chamberlin began to back away, more terrified than they had ever been in their lives. Without realizing it, they had backed up into the stair and stumbled to the floor. The large warlord stepped closer to them and was no less than three feet from them.

"Hello there, Uberta," the large man said with a voice that sent chills up both their spines. "It's good to see you again. How long has it been? Twenty-two years?" Uberta, as terrified as she was, did not back down to him. She stood up and faced him.

"How dare you come here!" she said in her most queenly voice. "How dare you show your face in my kingdom?" But the dark knight just laughed.

"I dare show my face because I wanted to see and old friend of my father's," he said in a calm voice. Those words made Uberta quiet mad.

"You have no right to speak about him as he were you father!" she shouted at him. "He was one of the most generous kings I have ever met. And you betrayed him! His own son!" But the large man just smiled under his helmet. He was unfazed by her remark.

"He was a weak fool," he said wickedly. "He didn't have what it really takes to be a true king."

"And neither do you!" Uberta said sternly. The large man chuckled.

"Perhaps," he said coolly. "But at least I'm still alive and not rotting away underground as a worm's feast." This enraged Uberta. Because she knew that not only was he talking about his father, he was also referring to her husband. In a blind rage, she swung her left hand in an attempt to slap him but was instantly caught by his own. There was really no point though, his helmet would have received the blow and he wouldn't have felt a thing. But he wanted to make a point that even if his helmet was off, the attack would've been thwarted.

"Now, now, now," he said slyly. "Wouldn't want to damage that queenly hand of yours now, would we?" He then spotted the necklace around her neck. He recognized it the instant he saw it. In a single motion, he threw Uberta's hand away and grabbed the necklace and snapped it off. "And I see you kept this piece of trash all these years," he said looking at the object in his hand.

"How dare you!" she shouted. "Return that immediately!" she made an attempt to reach for it when the large man raised his right arm, pointing his hand in her direction.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," he said in a very stern voice. "You know very well the power I possess. And I'm not afraid of giving you just a little taste of it, because that alone will be enough to destroy you." The both just stared at one another for a moment when they heard a horse whining. They both turned to the direction of the noise to see Uberta's captain charging through the crowd of goblins and made his way to the Queen and Chamberlin. Uberta grabbed a hold of Chamberlin, with ease do to his size, and lifted him up.

The captain reached out for Uberta's hand at full speed. Uberta managed to grab hold of his hand as he lifted them both up onto the horse. The large man just took a step back, not even trying to stop him. The captain took out his sword and cut down a few goblins as they separated, trying not to get hit by the horse. The captain, Uberta, and Chamberlin were now free from the crowd and heading away from the kingdom. A battalion of goblin archers readied the bow and prepared to fire on them when their master raised his hand to stop them.

"No need my servants," he said. "I know exactly where they're heading anyway. And besides…" he smiled under his helmet, "I think it's time to pay a little family visit to Swan Lake."

**A/N: Wow! that was intense. I hope you guys enjoyed this, please tell me what you thought of this dark lord.**


	2. Happy Birthday

I hope you liked the prologue; well here is the first chapter

Chapter 1 

The next day, in the castle of Swan Lake, everyone was setting up for Odette's birthday party. Everyone was so excited for it. Everyone in the kingdom pitched in to have everything set up. The games were being placed, the feast was being prepared, and Odette's gifts were being gathered up in the main hall. The celebrations were going to take place in the same spot as their annual festival days. But everyone was more looking forward to Odette's birthday than any other holiday of the year. Everyone in the kingdom loved Odette very much and wanted to show her that.

Odette watched everyone preparing for the celebrations from her room and smiled at them. She appreciated it very much, but she didn't feel that her birthday was that big of a deal. She heard a knocked on the door and Derek came in.

"Hello birthday girl," he said as he walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "Better get ready for you party. Everything is almost ready, and we will also be holding a Ball for you tonight." Odette smiled at her husband and gave him an affectionate kiss.

"You really don't have to do all this," she said kindly to him. Derek shook his head.

"I know," he replied, "But I want to. You are more than worth it." This earned him another kiss from his angel. A moment later, Derek took Odette by the hand and led her out the door. Odette felt that she was lucky that she married such a wonderful man like Derek. Derek felt the same way. He wanted to show his wife how much he loved her in any way possible. Both thought it to be impossible, but they felt like they were falling even more in love with one another with every passing day.

Downstairs in the main hall, they were greeted by Rogers, who appeared with a letter in his hand. "What is it Rogers?" asked Derek.

"Well Derek," Rogers said, "the king of Lincolnshire wishes Princess Odette a happy birthday and gives a small message." He opened the letter and began to read it aloud. "Ahem… Dear Princess Odette, I want to wish you a very happy birthday. Treat this day as if it were your last. For you never know what may happen. Old age for example. Oh how I wish to be young again, to be wild and free. Well anyway, I wish you a wonderful birthday. And I hope you party will be fantastic because I will be arriving at your castle soon to enjoy the fun. See you and Derek in a little while. Sincerely, Jacob, King of Lincolnshire."

Derek and Odette were quiet surprised by the news. The King of Lincolnshire rarely paid anyone a visit from his kingdom for a long time. But this was a special occasion. For the King of Lincolnshire was a very old and good friend to Queen Uberta and King William. He uses to visit William a lot when Odette was a child. She uses to hear about all the adventures her father use to have when he was about her age. About how her father, Jacob, and Uberta would get in and out of so much trouble together, along with their best friend prince Dmitri, Uberta's betrothed and Derek's father. Dmitri was the third youngest out of the four, Uberta being the youngest. At the time, William was fifteen, Jacob was fourteen, and Dmitri and Uberta being only thirteen; Uberta being younger by five months. The four of them went on many great adventures and became the best of friends.

But now he would rarely visit though, and she never asked why. She was more worried her engagement to Derek than anything else, back when she hated him. But a year after their marriage, the king of Lincolnshire decided to pay them a visit after such a long time. They were very excited to see him, although he did show up a day early when they were on a picnic, but he was willing to wait. When Derek and Odette's picnic was over, they met up with him in the castle library. Derek thought that he was there for business purposes, but really, he wanted to see how much they had grown. When he saw them, King Jacob got a joyous, yet pained look on his face, for Derek looked almost like the spitting image of his father, except Dmitri liked to wear a goatee on his face. Odette looked exactly like her mother, right down to her violet eyes, but had William's blond hair.

Both Derek and Odette noticed the pained expression on his face and asked him what's wrong. After a few moments of silence, King Jacob told them why he never visited before. Because he felt that he was the reason Derek's father died so many years ago and couldn't face Uberta, King William, or Derek. And now that Derek was married to Odette, he felt that he let her down too. Derek and Odette asked why he felt like that and he told them of the invasion of William's kingdom. That was a story well known through many kingdoms. And it was always a story that sent chills down both Derek and Odette's spines.

A powerful and evil sorcerer led a large and vast army of barbarians to take over William's kingdom. This sorcerer was so evil and so cruel, that it was said that even the gods feared him. The invasion lasted eight months, and with the help of Jacob and Dmitri, the three kings managed to defeat this dark lord, but not without a price. During the last great battle during the summer, the three kings lead their armies in a last stand against the dark lord. They were outnumbered three to one but somehow won the day. The three kings faced the dark lord head to head during the battle and fought fiercely against him. The dark lord managed to escape, but not without taking one last strike, killing Dmitri. With that, the dark lord retreated to his ships along the beaches and sailed off. Last they heard was that he was lost at sea during a terrible storm. Everyone who was there during that time rejoiced as they felt that the dark lord would never return. But King Jacob never believed it. He always believed that he was still alive, and plotting his revenge.

Not long after the battle, a funeral was held for the noble king. William and Jacob wanted to honor their old friend the best way possible. William had even brought his newborn daughter, who had been born the very next day after the battle, there as well. Derek, being only three at the time, walked up to his father's body and placed a drawing of him and his father that he had drawn for him when he would return. Jacob, seeing the picture on Dmitri's body, felt his heart sink. He felt as though he had failed in protecting his friend in battle, and bringing a father back for his son. He felt that he was responsible for his death and couldn't face both William and Uberta after the battle or Derek after the funeral, nor visit them very often. But now was different and Jacob wanted to make it up to both Derek and Odette for his behavior, though he still rarely visited because he was extremely busy. But he wanted to be with both of them on this very special occasion.

"It's been quite a while since he came for a visit," Derek said as he looked over the letter.

"Well, he has been very busy," said Odette. "But it is nice to see him want to spend time with us."

"Should we prepare for his arrival?" Rogers said. "Give him the red carpet, trumpets to announce his arrival, and something big for the banquet?" Derek and Roger began to plan for Jacob's arrival when Odette took the note and noticed the little writing at the bottom that both Rogers and Derek have seemed to miss.

"I don't think that will be necessary," she said with a smile. Both Derek and Rogers looked at her with a small confused look. "You both seemed to miss the little message at the bottom here." She pointed at the bottom of the letter. Derek and Rogers looked at where she was pointing and finally noticed the small message.

_P.S. Odette please make sure that Derek and Rogers don't make my arrival a big deal like last time. This is not my day, it is yours. So make sure they don't overdo things… Except for the Banquet, which I wouldn't mind._

Derek and Rogers looked at each other, and then to Odette, who was giggling. "Better get that banquet prepared, boys," she said with a smirk. "We have my birthday to celebrate and a hungry king to feed."

**A/N: i hope this is getting interesting for you guys, it took me a while to cme up with a name for ther king of Lincolnshire and his background. please review and tell me what you think :)**


	3. the King arrives

Chapter 2 

Later that morning, Odette decide to go for a walk by the lake. She wanted to have a little alone time for a while. She didn't mind that people wanted to make her birthday special, but a girl can only take so much attention. She walked around the lake for a while when she hear the sound of arguing in the bushes close by. They voices sounded familiar so she walked close to find out the problem. When she came close enough to see who it was, she giggled a little. It was her animal friends fighting with one another, or Puffin and Jean-Bob arguing with Speed and Whizzer standing by watching.

"We have to help set up for the surprise for Odette, and you think that you don't have to because you think you a prince?" Puffin said with his Irish accent.

"I know I'm a prince and yes I don't have to do anything of the sort," Jean-Bob shouted back. "A prince will not degrade himself in public like that. If you commoners want to do that, then leave me out of it."

"But Jean-Bob," said Speed in his slow, relaxed voice. "This is for Odette. Can't you put your pride aside for this one thing for our best friend?" Odette was about to say something but decided against it because she wanted to know what they were talking about. So she stayed hidden behind the tree.

"Absolutely not!" Jean-Bob shouted. "A prince like me has his pride. And I will certainly not lower myself so that this _Birdbrain_ can have the satisfaction of making me look like a fool."

"You won't be the only one doing it Jean-Bob," Puffin stated. "We'll be doing it along with you, so you won't have all eyes on just you."

"I don't care," Jean-Bob said. "A Prince does not do the-"

_Whistle._

Everyone's eyes were now on Whizzer. Puffin was about to say something when he noticed Whizzer's eye motioning towards the tree behind him. Puffin turned his head only slightly to catch a glimpse of blonde hair at the corner of his eye. This caught them off guard. But Jean-bob saw it as a way out of this mess.

"Well, if you peasants don't mind," he said cheerfully, "I'll just be on my way now." This caused Puffin to glare at him, but then had an idea on how to work with this. He looked over at Whizzer, who didn't know what to do, and nodded over to the little frog. It took Whizzer a moment to get what Puffin was trying to say and nodded in agreement.

"Well fine," he said in his pretend disappointed voice, "I guess we have no choice but to-" his sentence was cut off when he grabbed Jean-Bob's left arm and Whizzer grabbed his right.

"What are you bird-brains doing?!" Jean-Bob shouted. "Let me go this instant!" But Puffin and Whizzer just continued to drag him away to a different spot. They were determined to give Odette a wonderful birthday present and they weren't going to let Jean-Bob ruin it. And so, with their free hands (or wings I should say), flew into the air, carrying the grumpy frog to a new location. But they made sure to keep a slow enough pace for Speed to keep up.

Odette didn't bother to follow them, she kind of got the hint that they knew she was there and that following them would be pointless. So with a smile, she continued her walk around the lake. She walked for a half hour until she came to the spot where she and her animal friends lured Derek to when they first brought him to Swan Lake.

Odette faced the lake as she remembered that time. She also remembered all those times she was forced to spend her days as a swan. Boy was she glad that those days were over. She began to think of the wonderful life she spent here after her marriage to Derek. She was so focused on her happy memories that she almost didn't hear the trumpets in the distance. She looked across the lake and saw flags in the distance, flags that were the color red and had white dragons on them, the symbol for King Jacob's kingdom.

Although it was a far distance, Odette could see the large escort company for the king. There were at least sixty soldiers and twenty knights surrounding the large carriage that surly contained king Jacob inside. Odette was so excited to see Jacob that she almost tripped a few times running to the castle to meet him.

* * *

Derek and Rogers waited outside the main castle entrances to greet King Jacob when he arrived. They wanted to greet the king properly, but not overdo things as they promised.

They saw Jacob's banners approaching in the distance and Rogers told the band to be prepared to play. Rogers couldn't resist the urge to make the Jacob's appearance a grand one, but only got a smaller band to perform.

Jacob's carriage was quite large indeed. It was twice the size of any carriage and was covered with a layer of gold around the edges with a solid dark red color between them. As the carriage approached, the twenty knights rode ahead to castle entrance to form two lines across each other, ten knights in each line with their lances pointed seventy degrees towards the sky. As the carriage pulled up in front of the castle, two servants rolled out the red carpet from the castle doors, between the knights, to the carriage.

Once the carpet was rolled out, the carriage driver lifted from his seat and made his way to open the carriage door for the king. Once he began to open the door, Rogers gave the signal for the band to play. Derek and Rogers watched as King Jacob stepped out of his carriage.

King Jacob was indeed a man worthy of his stature. He stood around six-foot five, and had dark brown hair, with a touch of grey on the sides, that reached down to his shoulders. He was very built in frame, twice the size of Derek. He wore large brown boots that reached almost to his knees. He also wore a big, dark red shirt with is white dragon insignia on it that reached down to his mid-thighs, and black pants and was kept in place by his golden belt. His red robe with yellow fur on the edges reached down past the knees and hung open. He also bore a black fur cloak. His golden crown sat high on his head. When Jacob stepped out of his carriage, he looked around to observe his surroundings taking in a big breath of fresh air.

_Nothing seems to has changed here_, he thought to himself with a smile. He then noticed the music that was playing in the background. He looked over at Derek and Rogers and shook his head.

_Still have to make it a big deal don't you guys_, he laughed to himself. Even though he was the richest king in the world, he never liked it when people made his arrival a big deal. Derek and Rogers approached the king and bowed in respect.

"Welcome King Jacob," Derek said. "It is a great honor to have you here with us."

Jacob shook his head and smiled. "The honor is mine Derek. And no need to be so formal, just call me Uncle Jacob like I've told you to." During his first visit to Swan Lake, Jacob insisted on them calling him their uncle.

This time Derek shook his head and smiled. "I don't know sire, it doesn't feel right with me."

Jacob laughed. "Well anyway, where is the birthday girl? I came all this way to see her." As if on cue, Odette came out of nowhere and hugged Jacob from behind.

"Hi Uncle Jacob," Odette said cheerfully. "It's great to see you again." Jacob, after recovering from almost being knocked to the ground, turned around to return her hug.

"It's great to see you too." He pulled away a little. "How have you been? I hope your birthday has been great so far."

Odette smiled. "It's going to be even better now that you're here, Uncle Jacob."

Jacob turned to Derek and gave him a smug look. "See? She calls me Uncle Jacob." Derek's face got red with embarrassment. Jacob chuckled at the sight and looked back at Odette. "So when is the party going to start?"

Rogers stepped forward and spoke. "The festival grounds are fully prepared for the celebration and there will be a grand ball taking place tonight as well."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jacob shouted. "Let's get this party."

* * *

Everyone at the festival grounds were having the time of their lives. The servants were hosting games and the town's people where playing all sorts of them. Even Jacob was having fun, if not the most. Being the very busy man he was, he rarely had any time to enjoy himself. This was one of those times when he could just have fun.

He played at almost every stand that hosting a game. He played at the stand where you threw darts at balloons, hitting all of his targets, and he played dunk the clown, the clown being Bromley. He played all sorts of games; he even entered into a few contests they were holding, winning all of them. He entered into a sack race, horseshoe throwing, log tossing, javelin throwing, and even a pie eating contest.

Odette watched as Jacob was having the time of his life. She was so glad that he could get away from the weight of being a king and just enjoying the time he has. Plus being over fifty years old, all he really wanted was to feel young again. This was something she would have to remind herself with when she gets older.

As Odette watched Jacob consume the last blue berry pie that made him the victor when she felt a strong hand slip into her own. She turned her head to see Derek smiling at her.

"He seems to be enjoying himself," Derek said as he watched Jacob standing in victory.

Odette nodded. "He certainly is," she said. "He's won almost every contest and game that he's come across. The only thing one left is the archery contest."

Derek grinned at this. "Well he's going to have a tough competition then."

Odette turned and raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "And why is that?" she ask, but she knew very well the answer.

"Well," Derek said. "I happen to be the best archer in the kingdom and have won every archery contest that we've had."

Odette giggled. "Don't get too confident," she said. "We haven't seen him shoot an arrow yet. And he's been in plenty of wars to add to that."

"That may be true, but I've been using a bow since I was four and have always hit my target." Derek said proudly.

"Including that drawing of me in your room when we were younger?" Odette said with a devilish grin.

Derek's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. He had no idea how she found out about that and was at a complete lose for words. He tried to speak but no words came out.

Odette couldn't hold it in any longer. The look on Derek's face was too much and she completely burst out laughing. Once she finally calmed down, she leaned up and kissed Derek on his red cheek. "Relax honey," she said while still giggling a little. "I've know about that for a long time."

"How did you know anyway?" Derek asked, his face still red.

"You left your bedroom door open once and I saw it hanging on the wall," Odette answered.

"Well, if it makes things better," Derek said. "Mother told me to take it down a long time ago."

Odette smiled. "Don't worry Derek," she said. "I forgave you a long time ago." She kissed him again, this time on the lips.

Odette pulled away. "By the way," she said. "Where is Uberta anyway?"

Derek thought about this for awhile. "I don't know," he finally said. "But I'm sure that she'll be here in time for the ball. She rarely misses one." Odette agreed. It was not like Uberta to miss anything she could make a big entrance on. She had a big habit of that.

"Hey Derek!" Both Derek and Odette turned to the source of the voice and saw Jacob waving them over. "The archery contest is about to start. Care to give me at least a little challenge?" he said with a smirk.

Derek smiled and called back. "I would but I don't want to make things too challenging." He let go of Odette's hand and started walking towards Jacob.

Jacob laughed. "You couldn't give a child a challenge!" he replied.

Derek smirked. "I could say the same thing about you Jacob." Odette just stood there smiling and shaking her head at them while giggling.

"Oh, you're going to play that card aren't you?" Jacob said smirking. "Well let's see who is the better man is, huh?"

"Sure," Derek said. "Just let me know when you find one."

Jacob laughed and wrapped his arm around Derek's shoulder as they made their way towards the archery range. "You youngsters these days have no respect for you elders." He looked over his shoulder and called back to Odette. "Odette, come watch while I beat your husband to the ground!" Odette smiled and began to follow the two.

"How are you so sure that I won't beat you to the ground?" Derek asked.

"Like I said," Jacob replied as he put Derek in a small head lock. "You couldn't give a child a challenge." Derek pushed Jacob off and they both ran to get their bows to begin the contest, leaving Odette shaking her head at them.

"This is going to be fun," she said.

**A/N: Ohh, a little archery competition. I tried to make so that it seemed like something that Derek wouldn't turn down a challenge to. I hope you like it. The exciting part is coming soon. Please leave a comment on what you think of it.**


	4. Archery Contest

**A/N: I'd like to thank ****AnnieUSA, for her kind reviews and for inspiring me to keep on writing and posting these chapters up quickly for you guys. THE STORY MUST GO ON!**

Chapter 3

It was late in the afternoon and everyone was at the archery range getting ready to watch the competitors. Derek, Jacob, and six others were standing in a row across behind on another. At the end of the field was one target. The target was a large wooden circle that had five different colored rings on it, black being on the outside, green, blue, yellow and red in the center. Each contender was preparing their bows for the event. And as they were preparing, Rogers stepped out into the field so everyone could see him. He raised his hands into the air and waited for the crown to quiet down

"Attention competitors!" he shouted. "This contest will be set in stages. Each competitor will fire one at a time at the target. In each round a competitor will be eliminated. The competitor that's arrow is farthest from the center will be eliminated. The remaining others will move on ahead and their target moved farther away each round. The last remaining competitor will be declared the winner and will receive this fabulous gold medal." A servant comes running from the sides with the gold medal placed upon a red pillow.

He stands next to Rogers as he presents the medal. "And not only that," Rogers continues. "The winner will receive a kiss from the lovely Princess Odette." He gestured to the right side of the field where Odette sat in a chair with Bridget next to her on a platform that stood five feet off the ground to over look the whole field. Odette waved to the crowed as they cheered.

"And now, without any further ado!" Rogers shouted. "Let the game begin!" The crowd roared as the first archer stepped up forward into a circle drawn in the ground where the contestants were supposed to stand.

He was a middle aged farmer with short dark red hair and a thick mustache. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt that showed off his big arms and brown pants and black shoes. He waved to the crowd as they cheered and then turned to face the target. He took one of the arrows that were in the ground and placed it in the string of the bow. Each contestant's arrow had different colored tail feathers, to tell each other's apart, his being green. He made sure that the arrow locked into place before he pulled it back. He looked at the target for at least six seconds before releasing. The arrow was sent flying into the air. The crowd watched as the arrow began to descend towards the target. Soon the arrow finally hit the target, right on the yellow ring. The crowd cheered as he began to move aside for the next contestant.

This process continued until Derek was up next. Before he stepped out he turned to Jacob. "Let me show you how a real master does this," he said with a sly grin on his face.

Jacob just laughed. "Okay," he said. "Let me know when you find him." Derek smiled and shook his head at him and made his way towards the starting ring.

He stood in ring and took one of his purple arrows out and placed it on the string of the bow. Like the others, he made sure it locked into place before pulling. But before he pulled, he looked up at his target for at least three seconds. But unlike the others, Derek pulled the bow back with his back muscles instead of his arms. And he pulled the bow back as far as he could, still looking at the target. He held it there for a short while and released the arrow. The arrow flew smoothly across the sky and landed right in the red right, the only one to do so. The crowd cheered loudly as Derek made his way back next to Jacob. He was expecting to see nervousness on his face but was surprised to him only relaxed.

"Nice shot," he said. "Very impressive." His tone not at all stating he was. Derek smiled and scoffed.

"Let's see what you got, old man," he said. Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"'Old man,' huh?" He started walking towards the ring with his bow in hand. "I'll show you what an old man can do." He walked to the starting ring, already keeping his eye on the target. He stood in the ring and took out his red colored arrow and placed it on the string, never taking his eyes of the target. Like Derek, he didn't pull back right away, but instead just kept on looking at his target. He stood there for a good ten seconds, breathing in and out slowly. Derek was about to make a comment when Jacob quickly pulled the bow string back and released just as quickly, all in less than a second. The arrow soared smoothly through the air and began to descend. Derek kept his eyes on the arrow the whole time, half hoping he would miss and half hoping he would hit it, him being a kind man that he way.

The arrow quickly descended towards the target and what happened next surprised everyone, even Derek. The arrow landed right in the center of the target next to Derek's arrow. Everyone cheered loudly as Rogers made his way towards the target to inspect the results. And a he did so, Jacob made his way towards Derek.

"How's that for an old man?" Jacob smirked.

"That actually was quite impressive," Derek admitted. "But this isn't over yet, I'm still getting started," He stated with a smirk.

"Good," Jacob replied with a grin. "I was beginning wonder when this competition would start to get exciting."

* * *

Round by round went by and everyone soon realized that they had reached the last round. Both Derek and Jacob had made it to the final round. The target was now over seven hundred yards away now and everyone was anxious to see who will win.

Odette sat in her just as curious. This contest was very interesting as Derek and Jacob were neck and neck. She wasn't sure who to root for so she just sat quietly. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Bridget's voice.

"King, king is shoot very good." Odette nodded in agreement.

"Yes he does, Bridget," she said as she looked at Jacob. She was very impressed on how quickly and accurately he fired his arrow.

"Maybe he might beat Prince, Prince."

"Maybe, but it's not over yet. Anything could happen, Bridget." Bridget nodded as they brought their attention back to the field.

It was Derek's turn to shoot and he turned and faced Jacob. "Don't be too upset in there's no room in the red circle for your arrow to land in." Jacob just smiled at him.

"Don't you worry about that," he said. "I just don't want to try too hard and have you crying to Uberta when she gets here." Derek smiles as he scoffed and walked towards the starting ring. He took out his purple arrow and fired in the same fashion. The arrow soared through the sky and landed dead center of the target. The crowd cheered very loudly as Derek made his way back.

"Your turn," he said as he bowed and gestured for him to go on.

"Why, thank you," Jacob said as he bowed in a gesture of thanks. "How generous of you." With that, he made his way towards the start and did his routine all over again.

He didn't show an ounce of it, but he was pretty nervous. He wasn't sure if he could top that. But then he remembered the story of Robin Hood and how he split his opponent's arrow. Jacob smile and studied his target intensely, playing the draw of the bow and releasing of it in his head over and over again. When he was satisfied, he quickly drew the bow string back. But before he could release it, old age caught up with him. Before he released the arrow, he started coughing. This caused him to release the arrow but not where he wanted it. The arrow didn't soar smoothly like before and landed on the yellow ring above Derek's arrow. Derek smiled and thought he had won and that Jacob was just pretending. That is until he actually looked at Jacob leaning over with one hand on his knee and another over his mouth, he was coughing very violently. Derek rushed over to Jacob as quick as he could and placed a hand on Jacob's back.

"Are you alright?" Derek asked, his tone showing he was concerned.

"I'm fine," Jacob replied trying to smile between coughs. "Just old age, that's all." He was still coughing for a while. Odette saw what happened and stood up from her chair, her face showing great concern. Derek stood by Jacob's side as he looked towards the target and saw Rogers inspecting the results. Satisfied he made his way closer to the crowd so he wouldn't have to shout as loud.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Rogers shouted. "This concludes the Archery contest. And the winner is—"

"Rogers stop!" Derek shouted. "Give Jacob another shot."

"But Derek," Rogers said. "The rules state that each competitor can only shoot _one_ arrow."

"I am well aware of that Rogers," Derek replied. "But I would rather win knowing my opponent tried his best than win at all." Jacob, after finally calming down, looked up at Derek with a smile on his face. He was very proud with Derek and how he was willing to give his opponent a fair chance.

Odette, watching everything from her chair, smiled at Derek. He truly was a great man. He never took advantage of someone's weakness so he could win in a fair fight. That was one of the qualities that she loved about him.

"Are you sure Derek?" Rogers asked. Derek only nodded. "Very well, King Jacob gets another shot!" he shouted to the crowd as they cheered. They were very happy to see their prince give a fair fight.

Jacob rose to his full height and placed a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Thank you my boy," he said with pride. "You truly are a man who fights fair and worthy of being a prince." Derek smile and placed his own arm on Jacob's shoulder.

"As are you… Uncle Jacob," he said with a big smile on his face. Jacob's own smile grew wider. He really was proud of Derek.

_You would be proud too, Dmitri, _Jacob thought to himself. Derek really was the spitting image of his father, both inside and out. Derek took his hand off Jacob and stepped out off the ring. Jacob smiled as he took out another arrow and looked at his target again. He visualized the quick draw and release of the arrow in his head again over and over. Satisfied and quite sure he wasn't going to cough up a storm again, drew the arrow back and quickly released. The arrow slid smoothly past the bow and through the air. The crowd watched as the arrow descended towards the target. This was it, the final shot the determined who the winner was. The arrow drew closer and closer to the target and…

_Split!_

The arrow split right through Derek's, declaring him the winner of the Archery contest. The crowd's roar was almost deafening. Everyone cheered for the King, even Derek. Jacob smiled at himself. He had never done a thing like that before and was quite sure that it wasn't going to work. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see that it was Derek and he was smiling.

"Congratulations Jacob," he said with full happiness in his voice. "You've earned this." Jacob smiled at him and placed his own hand on Derek's shoulder.

"And I have you to thank for that, my friend," Jacob stated with pride. The two shared a quick hug as the both made their way to Odette's platform. As they reached the platform, Derek waited at the bottom of the stairs as Jacob when to receive his medal. Jacob approached Odette and Bridget and bowed. Bridget stepped closer to the king and presented the golden medal. Odette also stepped forward and took the medal and placed it around Jacob's neck. He rose to his full height as the crowd cheered even louder. He raised his left hand for the crowd to quiet down. Once the crowd calmed down he spoke.

"I gladly accept the medal," He shouted to the crowd. "But I also gladly pass the kiss from the lovely princess over to the runner-up; Prince Derek!" The crowd roared as Jacob gestured for Derek to join him on the Platform. Derek smiled as he climbed the stairs to stand next to them. Jacob stood aside and waved for them to go on.

Derek and Odette smiled at him and looked at one another. They stared into each other's eyes for a short time. Then Derek stepped forward wrapped his arms around Odette's waist. She soon followed by wrapping her arms around his neck. The two smiled at one another as Derek began to lean towards her. Odette met him halfway and their lips met in a soft, passionate kiss. Once their lips met, the crowd cheered, even Jacob was clapping his hand. He planned this all along. Weather he won or not he was going to let Derek receive the kiss from his wife.

Derek and Odette pulled away slightly and stared at each other's eyes. Then Derek looked towards the sun. It was almost sunset and they had to get ready for the ball tonight. He turned towards the crowd.

"I hope you all had a wonderful day," he shouted. "The games won't be taken down until tomorrow, so enjoy the rest of the night." The crowd clapped and soon began to disperse towards the festival grounds. Derek turned to Odette. "And we have a ball to get ready for. The guests will be arriving soon." Odette nodded in agreement. She turned towards Jacob.

"You're coming too, right?" she asked. Jacob began to chuckle.

"Are you kidding?" he replied. "And miss the grand feast. Of course I'm coming. I also don't want to miss the chance to show off this gold medal and tell Uberta that I kicked her son's but in archery." Derek rolled his eyes as he took Odette's hand and they, along with Bridget, headed off towards the castle.

* * *

The four of them were about to climb the stairs, when a one of the guards standing outside pointed out in the distance. "My lords, look," he called. "I think there's someone out there." The three turned around towards the direction the guard was pointing. He was right, there was someone out there. There was a large white horse slowly walking along the path coming around the bend with three figures one it, one of them was small. Derek and Jacob looked at one another then back to the figures on the road.

Once they got close enough, they could see that it was a man dressed in armor, women with grey hair that was loose and covered her face as she was laying on the man, and a child who was lying on the women. But something was off. They looked extremely exhausted and worn out, and covered in dirt. And they looked familiar in a way.

"Who do you suppose they are?" Odette asked no one in particular.

"I don't know," Derek answered. "But I think we may find out soon." Bridget steeped forward to get a better look at the strangers. The one that caught her attention was the small child. He was covered in dirt and leaves and his clothes were torn. She looked closely and noticed the small goatee around his mouth. She immediately recognized him.

"Chamberlin!" she shouted and began running towards him. Derek, Odette, and Jacob soon followed after hearing her shout his name. They ran as they could to reach them. Upon reaching the horse, Jacob grabbed the rein and Odette and Derek attended to the riders. Derek grabbed the unconscious Chamberlin and placed him in Bridget's arms. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw the state he was in. Derek grabbed the man in armor and placed one of his arms around his neck to give him sand Odette grabbed the women. Odette noticed how she was dress and began to think.

_No, _she thought_, it couldn't be._ She moved some of the women's grey hair and almost screamed.

"Derek!" she said. Derek turned around to see what she wanted when his eyes caught the sight of the women's face; it was Uberta.

**A/N: that was a long and interesting chapter huh? The real exciting part is coming very soon. Hope you all enjoyed the archery contest between Derek and Jacob. Tell me what you guys though of this chapter so I know what to put in my future chapter :)**


	5. What Happened?

**A/N: Here is Chapter 4. Hope you all enjoy it :)**

Chapter 4

Derek, Odette, Jacob, and Bridget brought Uberta, Chamberlin and the captain to the infirmary. The nurses stepped in to help clean them up as up Derek, Odette, and Jacob stepped outside while Bridget never left Chamberlin's side. Tears fell down her face as she watched the sleeping form of her love.

Outside the infirmary, Derek was pacing around the hallway back and forth trying to keep calm. Jacob was leaning against the wall while Odette tried to comfort her husband.

"Derek," she said. "It's alright. She was just exhausted. She's going to be fine." As much as he wanted to listen to her, he just couldn't calm down. He finally stopped walking and turned to face Odette and Jacob.

"But why was she like that?" he asked. "Mother always travels in a carriage and always looking to make an entrance. She came out like she was running for her life." He looked towards the floor. "What on earth could have happened?" he said softly, more to himself. He felt a hand on his right shoulder and turned to see Jacob.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon," he said softly. "But for now she needs rest. There's nothing we can do now but wait. But don't worry; she's one of the strongest women I know."

Derek turned his head back to the floor. He began to think of all the time is mother would have her beauty pageants and how much she wanted to be the best at everything, not because she was a queen. He thought of the time when Uberta danced the tango with Rogers to win the talent show during the Festival days.

Derek loved his mother, but there were times where she got under his skin. Like at times during the summers when his mother made him watch one of her beauty pageants with Odette. He was bored out of his mind and just wanted to disappear.

But then there were times when Uberta was a good mother and tried to do things that normally a father would do. Like the time when he was ten he went to practice his sword fighting in the castle training grounds. Uberta was watching her son practice his swordplay, but would sometimes miss a step and fall on his butt. Uberta smiled and walked up to her son.

"What are you doing Derek?" she said in a motherly voice. Derek stood up and frowned.

"I want to learn how to sword fight but I keep messing up," he said in a mad tone. Uberta smiled at her son and took the wooden sword from his hand and she takes a pose.

"Try bringing your left leg a little farther back," she instructs. "Then as you turn to thrust behind you, slide you back leg around one hundred and eighty degrees." She demonstrates and gives the wooden sword back to Derek. He follows his mother's instructions and get the move down perfectly.

"Hey," he says happily. "I did it mommy, I did it." He turns around to see his mother when he noticed that she also had a wooden sword in her hand. "Mommy?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to teach you more about sword fighting," she said as she walked towards him.

"You know about sword fighting?" he asked. Uberta only chuckled.

"Of course," she stated with pride. "Your father use to teach me all the time. Now get into position Derek. I'm going to teach you a really interesting move." And with that, Uberta spent all day teacher her son how to swordfight and would do it on many occasions. She would also teach him how to shoot a bow more accurately and how to shoot while riding a horse. Derek smiled at the memories of his mother spending time with him. He wanted now more than anything for his mother to be alright.

Odette was feeling the same way. Uberta was the closest thing she had to a mother. Even during the summer, when she and Derek hated one another, Uberta would sometime come into her room and they would occasionally talk. Uberta knew that Odette wasn't fond of Derek so she stayed clear of talking about him, except when Odette brought him up. When that happened, Uberta would try to make her understand why Derek acted the way he did. But sometime Odette never listened.

And when Odette became a teenager, and she started to feel strange, Uberta would take Odette aside and have 'womanly' chats with her. Uberta had been there for Derek and Odette a lot over the years, and even though they hated one another, they both loved Uberta very much.

Jacob didn't really show his emotions in order to keep everyone calm, but he was very worried as well. Uberta was like a sister to Jacob and he would always protect her. Ever since they were little he was always the protective one when it came to Dmitri and Uberta. He remembered the time when Uberta were eleven years old; she was in the middle of town when a group of three older kids came up to her. They figured that since she was royalty that they would have some money on them. But when she didn't give them any, they took them to the woods to beat her into giving them money.

But fortunately Jacob was nearby and saw the whole thing and followed. And before the older kids could even lay a finger and them, Jacob immediately stepped in and defended their friends. It was a three on one fight but Jacob won without a break of a sweat. Once the fight was over, the three older kind ran away all beaten and bruised. Jacob on the other hand didn't have a scratch on him. He had trained himself for this kind of situation for years. He turned to Uberta, who was on the ground crying because she was scared, and placed a hand on her back. She looked up at him with teary eye. It was then that he made a promise to always look out for her and to never let anything bad happen to her and to be there whenever she needed him. Since then he has always been like an older brother to her. He even taught her how to defend herself just a little. But it wasn't until later that Dmitri started to teach her sword fighting while Jacob watched over them. And since then Uberta has been a strong women. He really missed those old days.

But this wasn't the reason he was worried. He was more worried about _why_ she came in the condition that she was. He knew that may Chamburg be a peaceful kingdom, but it was a powerful one. And if her kingdom was attacked, word would have gotten around quickly. Her kingdom wasn't that far away from here, maybe a day and a half away. So why was she so tired and her clothes all torn up. Was she really on the run?

They were all soon brought out of their thoughts when the door to the infirmary opened revealing a happy looking Bridget.

"Honey bunches is awake!" she shouted happily. "And so are queen, queen and knight, knight!" As soon as she finished her sentence, Derek, Odette, and Jacob ran right passed her and into the room. Bridget was right; Uberta was indeed awake, but just barely. Chamberlin was also awake too and so was the captain, but they looked as if they were going pass out at any moment. All three of them were in a row across the window with the sun shining on them. Odette, Derek and Jacob ran across the room and went right to Uberta's side.

"Mother," Derek half shouted. "Are you alright?" Uberta, still exhausted, slowly turned her head to face her son.

"Derek," she said softly, "where is Jacob?"

"I'm here, Uberta," Jacob stepped closer to her. Uberta waved her hand for his to come closer. Jacob did ask he was asked and went to the left side of her bed and placed his left ear to her, facing away from Odette and Derek. Uberta so spoke softly in a dry voice that Jacob almost didn't hear.

"He's back," was all she was able to say before she passed out from exhaustion. Jacob's eyes widened to the size of dinner plate after hearing her words, 'he's back.'

He's back? After twenty two years? How could that be possible? After such a long time, how could he have come back? And be powerful enough to destroy Uberta's kingdom. He knew that was the case because that was how he worked. He rarely left anyone alive after conquering an area. And those that did survive wished that they were. And if the _was_ the case, he needed to do something and fast. But he couldn't bring Odette or Derek into this. Not now.

"Mother?" Derek said as he kneeled by his mother's side, bringing Jacob out of his thought. He turned to face Derek.

"She just tired that's all," he said as calmly as he could putting on a smile. "She needs to rest. She'll be fine." As much as it was unconvincing to himself, it seemed to do the trick for the other two. Odette looked over at Uberta.

"What did she say?" she asked. Jacob looked over at Uberta as well, thinking of something to tell them.

"She just said the carriage broke," he answered. "Perhaps that they wanted to be here for the ball that she couldn't wait and asked her captain over there to get her here as fast as possible."

"But why is she so exhausted?" asked Derek. "And why are her clothes all torn up?" Jacob though of an excuse right away.

"Oh, she must have stayed up for the past few days. She does get so excited about coming to these events that she hardly sleeps. And she thought she might be late getting here early and get herself prepared that her clothes must have been caught on some branches. She does have spare clothes here, right?" Both Derek and Odette nodded, just as he thought they would. He knew that Uberta would keep spare clothes in her son's kingdom just in case. She had a habit of doing that.

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Jacob said with a smile. "Once she gets her rest, I'll see to it that she gets ready for the ball as if nothing had happened." Derek and Odette looked at one another.

"Alright," said Odette. "As long as everything is okay."

"Of course," said Jacob. Then they heard trumpets in the distance. Jacob looked out the window and saw many carriages on their way to the castle.

"And it looks like you two need to get ready yourselves," he said as he turned his head to face the two. "Your guests are arriving and you're not properly dressed."

Derek smiled and looked at Odette. "He's right," he said. "We have to get ready to greet your guest, birthday girl." Odette smiled.

"Well," she said. "Maybe you're right." And with that, Derek and Odette headed towards the door. Before Derek left, however, he turned around and looked at Jacob.

"Please make sure that Mother is taken care of," he said with concern in her voice for his mother. Jacob smiled and nodded his head.

"I promise," he replied with a genuine smile. Derek returned the smile and left the room. As he was leaving the room, Jacob's General came into the room, bowing his head as Odette and Derek passed. He was a tall man, standing a few inches taller than Derek. He was dressed in full armor, carrying his helmet in his right arm, and wore a red cape with his kingdom's dragon insignia of the back. The captain walked towards his king, a concerned look on his face. Jacob just looked out the window.

"I take it that you heard from outside the room, Philip?" Jacob asked, not looking away from the window. The captain only nodded.

"Yes my lord," Philip answered. "And I know when you're not telling the truth too." Jacob smiled and faced his captain.

"You always could tell me apart, huh?" he said.

"So what's the real story my lord?" Philip asked. Jacob's face turned serious and he looked out the window again.

"He's back," Jacob answered, his voice telling whether he should be scared or angry. His face showing that this situation was very serious.

"The dark lord, your majesty?" Philip asked, although he knew very well the answer. Jacob only nodded.

"It's been twenty two since we last saw him," Jacob said. "Twenty two years since he killed Dmitri. But my question is; why now? Why wait all this time to act on his revenge?"

"Dark Lord not act just now," Bridget said. Both Jacob and Philip turned to look at her; they had completely forgotten that she was still in the room. She was sitting in a chair next to a sleeping Chamberlin.

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked.

"Rothbart was servant of Dark Lord for many years," Bridget answered. "He found Rothbart after King banished Rothbart."

"But what did he plan to do?" Jacob asked. Bridget shook her head.

"Me don't know," she answered. "All me know it that they plan on killing king for throne. Zelda came and help Rothbart, but he betray her."

"So he was around for much longer than we thought," Jacob said, more to himself. "And if I know him, he'll be coming for Odette." He looked over to Philip. "We can't let that happen."

"So what are we going to do about it?" said another voice in the room. Everyone turned to the source of the voice, it belong to the now awake captain.

"What is your name soldier?" Philip asked. The captain sat up in his bed.

"Joshua, sir," he answered. Jacob studied him. He looked to be in his early thirties. He looked quite strong and would prove to be most helpful. Jacob smiled at him.

"Well Joshua," he said. "We're going to make sure that nothing happens to Odette. I have no doubt that he will be coming here soon."

"Then shouldn't we cancel the Ball?" Philip asked. "It would be for their safety that they are not here when he attacks."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," he replied. "The guests that will be coming will most likely be king, queens, and other nobles. They came all this way for a Ball and don't like to be disappointed. And if what I think is true, then we are going to need as many allies as we can. I want you to see to it that any soldier that is accompanying the guests here to stand ready and be prepared. Just like Uberta, he likes to make a grand entrance to a party."

"I'm going too," said Joshua as he tried to stand up. "That bastard destroy my home and killed my people. If he does show up, I want to be there to make him pay with his life."

"Very well," Jacob said. "But don't expect it to be an easy fight though. He is a master of both armed and unarmed combat. I should know," he looked to the ground, "I trained him myself. And he has the forbidden arts, as well. He is indeed the most powerful being the world has ever known."

"What is his name?" Joshua asked, he was standing now and was standing next to Philip. Jacob was hesitant to answer because the very name made his blood boil. It was also a name that would send chills up anyone's spines.

"He goes by another name, but his real name is—"

"Your majesty," Rogers said as he came into the room. "I heard what happened to dear Uberta and hate to disturb you, but the guests have arrived ad wish you to join them for in the ball room. Derek and Odette will be along shortly."

"You go, my lord," Bridget said. "Me take care of queen, queen, and honey buns." Jacob smiled and nodded.

"Alright," he said then looked at Philip and Joshua. "You both know your jobs. I'm counting on the both of you."

"Yes sir," they said and saluted. With that they all left the room, leaving Rogers and Bridget alone. Then Bridget remembered something.

"Oh, me forgot to get water," she said and left the room. Rogers was left in the room. He looked over to Uberta with a sad expression planted on his face. He walked over to Uberta and placed his left hand on her cheek.

"You'll be alright Uberta," he said softly. "You wouldn't be Uberta if you didn't come out of this in one piece." He leaned down and kissed Uberta on her forehead. And with that, he left the infirmary.

**A/N: so what did you guys think? i know it's been a while since I last brought up the new villan, but i'm just leading up to him. it wouldn't be much of a story if I brought him out right away. trying to make it more entertaining for you guys. oh, and the last part of Rogers kissing Uberta, i don't really support that couple, i just thought that since they've been with each other for a long time that at least one of them would develop feelings. let me know what you guys think of the chapter plz :)**


	6. Uninvited Guest

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. This one took a while to make. And now the moment you've all been waiting for: the grand ball for Odette's birthday. What will happen at this event, and who will be revealed? this chapter has be rewriten a little.**

Chapter 5

It was late in the night and the ball was going splendidly. The guests were dancing, chatting, or at the buffet table (mainly Jacob- he has a high metabolism). Rogers was conducting the band while the guests danced. The music was smooth and graceful. Rogers took get pride in his music, always making absolute sure that his audience would be satisfied.

The ball room was full of guests; there must've been at least two hundred people inside. There were quite a few kings and queens there, but the majority of the party was other nobles. And all of them were very well dressed. There were some that had big, puffy sleeves and/or shoulders, and others that had big hats on their heads.

Odette wore her formal attire, consisting of a sleek white evening gown with green puffs at the shoulders and long fitted sleeves. She was walking around the ball room, occasionally chatting with the guests along the way. She walked around for a while when she caught site of Jacob, wearing his usual outfit, at the buffet table.

_Just where I thought I would find him,_ she thought to her as she made her way towards him. Once she reached him, she lightly tapped him on the shoulder. The sudden unexpected contact caused him to jump, almost dropping the food I is hands. This caused Odette to giggle. Once he calmed down, Jacob turned around to see who it was.

"Odette!" he said sternly, yet had a small smile on his face. "Don't do that. You almost made me drop my food." Odette giggled some more.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jacob" she said, even though she really wasn't. "I just wanted to see how you were enjoying the party."

"I'm having a great time," he said happily. "Derek has really put together a fabulous ball. You are incredibly lucky, Odette." Odette smiled and nodded in agreement. She looked over to her right and saw Derek not that far away from them talking to his best friend Bromley, who was stuffing his face as he talked. He was wearing his formal attire as well.

"Yes," she said in a half eye-lid smile. "I really am lucky, huh?" She looked back at Jacob. "So how is Uberta?"

"She's still resting in the infirmary," he said. "I had Bridget bring her an extra set of clothes for her when she wakes up." Odette smile at this.

"Hopefully she will wake up soon. It would be a shame if she went through all the trouble to get here and miss out on it." Jacob nodded in agreement, though he felt a small feeling of guilt. His face seemed to show it, but he quickly shook it off as to not be noticed.

Odette, however, did notice the small change in Jacob's expression, it was quick but she noticed. "Is everything alright?" she asked. Jacob looked at her with a questionable expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You looked a little worried for a moment when I brought up Uberta just now," she answered. "Is everything alright?" Jacob was taken aback at how quick Odette was to notice his reactions, but wasn't at all surprised. She always had a keen eye for spotting the smallest movements.

"Of course my dear," he said with a convincing smile. "Everything is just fine. I'm just worried that Uberta won't wake up in time for the ball, or we'll all be in trouble." Odette laughed at his joke. She knew quite well that Uberta was always up for a party, and whenever she wasn't invited or happen to miss it, Uberta would become so upset that even the bravest of men would be too terrified to go near her. It's a good thing that Odette was never the one that her anger was directed at.

"Yeah that's true," she said as she chuckled. "Now I hope she wakes up for all our sakes."

Jacob was smiling, knowing that Odette believed his lie, and nodding his head, but that feeling of guilt never went away. He hated to have to lie to Odette and Derek about what happened to Uberta, but he knew it was for the best. He knew if he told them the truth, Derek would act rash and try to find out who did this and start a fight that he was sure Derek wasn't going to win, not on his own at least. As for Odette she would learn an awful truth to why Uberta was attacked and who was responsible for it. But he knew that they would find out the truth sooner or later, and he was really hoping for the latter.

Feeling the need to change the subject, he asked, "So where are these animal friends you've been telling me about. I haven't had the chance to meet them."

"Oh," Odette said, completely forgetting about them. She had been so occupied with everything that's been happening today that she forgotten that they had a surprise for her. She looked around the room for them. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere. I overheard them saying that they had a surprise for me, but I don't know what it is. I hope that they are alright."

"Hmm," Jacob said. "Maybe Derek has seen them. Here he comes now." He pointed to his left. Odette followed to where he was pointing and saw Derek making his way towards them.

"Hello Derek," Jacob said. "And how is everything going tonight?"

"Everything is going perfectly," Derek replied. He looked over to Odette. "That is, if the birthday girl thinks so." Odette nodded happily.

"Absolutely," she said. "Everything is perfect. But I still feel that this is a little much." Derek shook his head and laughed.

"Nonsense, nothing is too good for my angel." he said as he kissed Odette on the cheek.

"Exactly," Jacob said. "This is your day. Everyone at this party is here to celebrate _your _birthday. What better reason to be here?" Odette blushed at the complements she was getting. She then remembered what she wanted to ask Derek.

"Oh Derek," she said. "By the way, you haven't seen Puffin, Speed, Jean-Bob and Whizzer around here have you?"

"Oh I almost forgot," he replied. "That's actually what I came over here to tell you. The boys say that they are ready to show you their surprise now. They told me to bring you over as soon as possible." Odette smiled as Derek took her hand and pulled her away to find their animal friends.

"Have fun Odette," Jacob shouted as they walked off. As he was watching Odette and Derek leave, Philip and Joshua walked up behind him. Jacob didn't even have to turn around to know that they were there and his face turned serious. "What's the news?" he asked without turning around. Philip was the first to answer.

"Everything is in order, Sire," he reported. "Me and Joshua did a head count on every soldier that accompanied the guest here. And we have a number of two thousand and four hundred soldiers here, thirty percent of them being knights. We've instructed them to be prepared and wait within the castle until further orders. They currently reside in the kitchens, armories, and any place close by where they could come quickly if ever need. I also had another hundred and fifty men station around the ballroom should anything happen." Jacob nodded his approval.

"Very good," he said. "Be sure to give the signal at anytime. I have a feeling in my gut that something is going to happen tonight."

"How can you be so sure, Sire?" Joshua asked.

"Better not to question it, Joshua," Philip said. "I've been with him for over thirty years and his gut feelings have always been right on the dot." Joshua questioned this for a moment. But then he realized that Philip has been in many wars with the King and has more experience in what the Jacob had in mind. So he nodded his understanding. Jacob turned his head slightly towards them.

"Alright," he said. "Continue with what you're doing. And be sure to be prepared for anything." Philip and Joshua saluted and turned and made their way towards another part of the room. Jacob walked in the other direction to where Odette and Derek where.

* * *

Meanwhile in the infirmary, Uberta was still unconscious in her bed. Bridget sat in a chair next to her still unconscious Chamberlin. She had his hand in hers as she was slightly caressing it. She would occasionally check on Uberta to see if she had woken up yet. She had cleaned the dirt and leaves off both of them didn't put them in new clothing, but she had a pair right next to each of them.

They had both been like this for a few hours now and Bridget was starting to wonder if they would ever wake up. She was very worried about one thing: why was King Jacob talking about the Dark Lord? Was he the one that attacked Uberta's kingdom? So many questions went through her mind. She remembered the time when she first met the Dark Lord. They were just banished from William's kingdom for two weeks. They had just moved into the abandoned castle at Swan Lake that Rothbart had found a long time ago with Clavius. Rothbart was trying to form a plan for revenge against William, but nothing good and effective came to mind. Then one day, a strange cloaked man appeared at the doors of the castle. Bridget opened the doors for him and he requested to see Rothbart. She showed him in and when to bring him Rothbart. After she did so, the cloaked man revealed himself as the Dark lord.

Rothbart was not a man that was easily scared, but he was terrified of him. But once he showed that he wasn't there to kill him, he asked if he could speak to Rothbart privately. Rothbart agreed and brought him to a secret chamber that he had discovered. Bridget didn't remember much after that; all she knew was that they had formed a plan together and that they also served him now. Then Derek defeated Rothbart in battle and she now served him and Odette and she was happy with them for three years. Now she found herself here caring for two unconscious friends that had been forced out of their home. She couldn't do much more for them until they woke up.

Meanwhile, unknown to Bridget, Uberta was having a horrible nightmare in her sleep. She was seeing a kingdom on fire, but not her own. She saw people being slaughtered by monsters right in front of her. The screams of those people horrified her. Then she heard the sound of fighting behind her. She turned around to see something she thought she would never see again. She saw her husband Dmitri. And not only that, but she saw her son Derek as well. They were fighting side by side together. Then a black figure, carrying a long black sword, appeared out of nowhere and stood between them and Uberta. The black figure had his back to Uberta as it walked towards Dmitri and Derek. They stood their ground as it approached them.

Dmitri was the first to step forward and confront the shadow. But to Uberta's horror, he was cut down within seconds. Derek saw his father fall to the ground and shouted with anger. He charged at the being but, too, was cut down. Uberta wanted to scream, but nothing came out. The shadow stood over the two fallen bodies before it turned around to face Uberta with its red eyes. Then the black figure began to make its way towards her. Uberta tried to run but her feet would move. She just stood there as the dark figure came closer to her. Once the dark shadow reached Uberta, it raised its sword high above its head. Uberta looked upon the dark figure with tears in her eyes. Then she saw something that shocked her even more: she saw the face of William staring down at her. Uberta finally let out a scream as the figure brought down its sword upon her.

Uberta woke up from her nightmare still screaming, causing Bridget to jump out of her seat and fall to the ground. Uberta looked quickly around the room to see where she was. Bridget quickly came over to her side to calm Uberta down.

"Where am I?!" Uberta shouted. Bridget placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Uberta safe, safe now," she said. "Uberta at Swan Lake castle. Bridget take care of Uberta." This, however, did little to calm Uberta down. The memories of her dream and the attack on her kingdom were still fresh in her mind. She quickly tried to stand up out of bed.

"I have to see Derek now," she said as she tried to leave, but Bridget reached out and grabbed Uberta's hand.

"But Uberta still need rest," she said pleadingly. "Uberta had tiring journey and needs rest." Uberta shook her head.

"How can I rest when a great evil is on our very doorstep?" With that, she pulled her hand away and ran out the door to find her son. Bridget was about to give chase when she heard Chamberlin waking up as well.

"What happened?" he asked in an exhausted voice as he placed his hand on his forehead. But his question when unanswered when Bridget jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Chamberlin!" she shouted happily. "You awake!" Chamberlin tried gasping for air as she held him tight. Once she let go, Chamberlin finally caught a breath of air.

"Bridget what's going on?" he said as he recovered his voice. But Bridget just grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her as she ran out the door.

"Come, come," she said. "We must find Uberta before she get hurt, hurt."

* * *

All was quiet outside. Thirteen guards stood at the ready outside the Castle of Swan Lake. Each guard was carrying a six foot long spear, sword and shield, and a torch. They all looked from left to right, scoping the area out for anything suspicious. Their shift was about to end soon so they weren't as focused as they should be. Then one of the guards on the left side of the castle entrance heard what sounded like a twig snapping in the far off distance. He alerted the sergeant in charge of their group about the sudden noise. The sergeant looked out towards where the soldier was pointing and studied the area carefully.

Upon seeing nothing, the sergeant ordered him and another soldier to go forth and scout the area. They did as they were told and headed off into the direction of the noise. They traveled to the edge of the woods and stopped. They studied the area for a while before turning around to head back to their posts. But another sound of a twig snapping stopped them and they quickly turned back towards the noise. They listened for anymore sounds before taking any more actions. They knew something was out there so they didn't turn back. Soon a small growl was heard in the woods, catching the two soldiers off guard a bit. The sound of the deep growl sent chills down their spines, but they stood their ground. They readied their weapons and ventured off into the woods holding the torches up high. They traveled in the woods for a few yards, searching for the cause of the noises. They stopped after a short while and quickly looked at their surroundings. They looked back and realized that they were a good distance away from the castle.

"Everything seems quiet," one of the guards said. The other nodded.

"Yeah, a little too quiet." He looked around him. "There's not a sound anywhere. Not a bird, not a cricket, nothing. Just complete silence."

Then they heard it again. A deep growl, but this time it sounded closer. The sudden sound made them jump. They readied themselves for whatever was out there. Then the sound of footsteps could be heard. The soldiers stood back to back, their torches on the ground and their weapons ready. More footsteps started to make themselves know and the growling continued. The soldiers looked around the trees but could not see anything. The footsteps grew louder and louder but they still couldn't see. They looked and looked but nothing was there. Then all was silent.

They guards stood where they were as they listened for anything. One of the guards picked up one of their torches and held it high. Then they saw them: dozens of glowing yellow eyes shined through the darkness. The soldiers were petrified by the sight. Never before have they been so frightened. What kind of creature where they? Then a sudden noise came from above. The guards shifted the gaze up towards the branches… then it was over.

The sergeant could hear the blood filled screams coming from the woods. He and the remaining others ran towards the woods where their comrades went in. they held their torches high to light their way. They trekked through the woods as fast as they could to find their comrades. They could see the light from their torches up ahead. When they reached the light, they were too late. The sight was too horrible. The bodies of their comrades were completely torn apart. Body parts scattered everywhere, and the smell of blood was strong.

_What could have possibly done this?_, the sergeant thought. He soon got his answer. The sound of growls and snarls began to start again, catching the soldiers off guard. They readied themselves for a fight. They formed a circle formation with the sergeant in the center. He looked around the area but couldn't see anything. He held his torch higher above his head. Soon glowing yellow eyes began to show in the darkness. The growling and snarling grew louder as they came closer to the soldiers. The sergeant drew his sword out and stood ready to fight. Then something fell on top of him. He looked up to see a horrible dark green creature with sharp teeth and long pointed ears. Its skin was wrinkled and thick. Its eyes were yellow looked like that of a snake. And its nose was only two narrow nostrils in the center of its face. It also wore strange armor, looked like scales that covered a red long sleeved leather shirt.. The shoulder guards were spiked and curled up at the end. It wore a loan cloth but had leather boots on its feet and leather gloves on its hands as well. It truly was a creature from hell. The guards turned around to see the sergeant struggling with a horrible creature. They were about to assist but it was too late. They were quickly swarmed by dozens more of them.

* * *

The ballroom was filled with laughter. As it turns out, Puffin, Whizzer, Speed, and Jean-Bob were acting as jesters for the party. They made the crowd burst into laughter with every stunt they did. They each wore a ridiculous costume to add to the comedy. Puffin was going around telling jokes and making fun of others, all in good fun, while Whizzer mimicked the voices of the crowd and turn it around to be them making fun of themselves. Speed was trying to balance himself on a big red and blue ball on one leg while balancing pies on sticks with his left leg, arms and nose.

Jean-Bob, of course, refused to do anything because he found it humiliating and non-prince like. So Puffin and Whizzer improvised and turn their jokes and tricks on him. Whizzer began imitating Jean-Bob's voice.

"Hello, my good people," Whizzer said to the crowd in Jean-bob's voice. "Have a look at me. My name's Jean-Bob and I am a tiny frog, but I think I'm a prince because I don't think I could possibly be anything else." The crowd burst into laughter at the ridiculous act that whizzer was playing. Jean bob, on the other hand, grew red with frustration. Puffin saw this and addressed the crowd.

"Ooh shoo shoo shoo shoo, looks like the poor frog prince is a little mad," he said in his Irish accent. "Maybe I should cool him down." Puffin took out a small bucket of water and dunked it on top of the frog.

Jean-Bob was boiling now. He started chasing Puffin around the room. Puffin started running around whizzer as he stood there with his hands behind his back. After Jean-Bob chased Puffin around whizzer six times, whizzer stuck his arm our while holding a cream pie. Jean-Bob ran straight into, causing the whole room to burst out laughing. After wiping the cream off his face, Jean-Bob started chasing both of them. Puffin and Whizzer ran across the trying to get away from Jean-Bob. They started running around Speed as he was still balancing on the ball. After a few moments of chasing, Jean-Bob accidently hit the ball from under Speed causing him to fall on top of three of them.

"I'm going to kill all of you," Jean-Bob said angrily from underneath Speed. Then the pies that speed was balancing fell onto each of their faces as the crowd laughed and applauded. Puffin, Whizzer, and Speed bowed to the crowd and carried Jean-Bob away towards Odette and Derek. Odette approached them while clapping.

"That was fantastic guys," she said with a huge smile on her face. "That was the funniest performance I have ever seen." Her animal friends, except Jean-Bob, bowed in thanks.

"Thank you, Odette," said Puffin. "We've been working on that for a couple of days now to get it perfect."

"Yeah," Whizzer agreed as he pointed to Jean-Bob. "But his highness over here didn't want to have any part of it so we had to improvise a little bit." Said frog looked at Whizzer with a death glare.

"I told you I didn't want to do this!" Jean-Bob shouted.

"You really didn't have a choice," Puffin said. Jean-Bob turned his glare on him.

"A prince always has a choice on what he wants and does not want to do," he stated. Whizzer and Puffin rolled their eyes and shook their heads at him. Speed walked over to Jean-Bob.

"But isn't making Odette happy all that matters?" he said slowly. Jean-Bob looked towards the ground and frowned. He began to think about what his turtle friend just said and sighed.

"I guess you right," he said as he looked up at his best friend. He then turned to Odette and bowed. "As long as the princess is happy, this humiliation is worth it." Odette's smile grew much wider, for Jean-Bob had finally learned humility. She was very proud of him. She kneeled down to the floor and leaned in and kissed Jean-Bob on his forehead.

"I'm very proud o you Jean-Bob," she said. Jean-Bob looked up at Odette and became red. He then started to freak out and spaze around. He jumped into the air and did a few flips as he descended towards the floor. He then looked at his friends with a smug look.

"Well. what do you say gents?" he said proudly. "Am I a prince or am I a prince?" Puffin, Whizzer and Speed looked at each other and shook their head. Puffin stepped forward with a mirror.

"Jean-Bob," he said seriously. He took out the mirror and showed it to Jean-Bob. "Take a look at yourself. What do you see?" Jean-Bob looked at the mirror for a while. He then grew frustrated and took the mirror.

"I don't believe this!" he shouted in his French accent. "Why don't these kisses ever work? I should be a handsome prince by now and heading back to my throne. " Puffin shook his head and was about to say something when Odette's hand stopped him. She smiled but shook her head at him. Puffin sighed and stepped back. He knew that the frog would never believe them if he told him he wasn't a prince. He didn't before, so why would he now?

Odette stood up and stood next to Derek, who was laughing and shaking his head at them. He then heard the music playing and looked at Odette with a smile. He lifted his right hand to her.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Derek said in a soft voice. Odette blushed and smile at him.

"Of course you may, my good sir." She took his hand and they made their way towards the dance floor. Derek placed his left hand on Odette's waist as Odette placed her right hand on Derek's shoulder. They were about to start dancing until they heard a familiar voice.

"Derek!" the voice shouted. Both Derek and Odette recognized the voice as Uberta's. They looked towards the direction of where her voice was coming from and saw Uberta running down the stairs. She was still wearing her torn outfit and her hair hung loose. She descended down the stairs and ran passed the guests to get to her son. Everyone gasped at the state Uberta was in, some were whispering about her but she didn't care, her main focus was getting to Derek. Odette and Derek both ran to Uberta as she ran passed the crowd. Once they reached her Derek spoke in a worried tone.

"Mother, what's the matter?" Uberta grabbed onto Derek as if she were about to lose him. She spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Derek," she said. "We have to leave here! There isn't much time." By this point, Jacob, Philip and Joshua came running to their side. Derek spoke again.

"What do you mean?" he asked very worriedly. "What's going on?"

"There isn't much time!" Uberta said loudly. "He'll be here soon!" Jacob was getting worried. He knew this would happen, but he didn't expect it to be this soon. He looked at the on looking crowd and saw their expressions. Many were confused at the situation and others were scared. He knew this was not going to end well.

"Who's coming?" Odette asked. Uberta looked over at Odette with sad eyes. She knew that it was now or never.

"It's—" Before she could finish her sentence, a loud crash came there one of the large windows, followed by a few more as dozens green creatures came crashing in. Glass was flying everywhere as people sated to panic. One of the green creatures stood up and shouted to the rest in a beast like voice.

"Goblins! Attack!" he ordered and the rest withdrew their weapons and began attacking the people. The room was in complete chaos. Many of the guests started panicking and ran towards the stairs to get away, while others withdrew their own weapons and went on the defense. The guards stationed inside the ballroom immediately went into action and attacked these creatures. Joshua turned to Philip and Joshua.

"Call the rest of the army in here and get these people to safety!" he ordered. Philip and Joshua obeyed and left to get reinforcements as Jacob took out his sword, which he always kept at his side, and went forth to battle. Derek did the same and turned to Odette.

"Get you and my mother to safety," he said but Odette didn't move.

"I'm not leaving you Derek," she persisted. Derek frowned.

"There's no time to argue Odette. Just do what I ask and get out of here!" Odette was about to say something else when they heard a loud noise coming from the front of the castle. They turned to the source of the noise to see that two goblins were opening the castle doors. Once they did, more of these creatures came pouring inside. Derek turned back to Odette.

"Odette please, you have to get out of here." seeing as she had no choice, Odette grabbed Uberta's hand and they made their way towards the stair. Derek turned around and went to join the battle taking place in his castle. Odette was about to ascend the stairs when saw how crowded it was. She was never going to make up those stairs in time. So she took Uberta to the right side f the room to hide behind the Buffet table. Once there, she saw Bromley and Rogers hiding there as well. But Rogers seemed to be arguing with Bromley about joining the battle.

"Fine!" Rogers said. "Hide here like a coward. I'm going out there and helping." He stood up and headed out towards the chaos, running right passed Odette and Uberta. Odette looked back at Bromley as he looked at the ground and mumbled something under his breath. Odette just shook her head.

Jacob cut down a goblin he was fighting and saw that more were storming in through the castle doors. _Where the hell is that reinforcements? _he thought to himself. He got his answer when he heard trumpets sounding behind him. He looked behind him and saw the soldiers from every kingdom and realm coming to their aid, lead by Philip and Joshua. Jacob smiled at the sight as Derek came to his side. They looked at each other and nodded. Jacob raised his sword and spoke to the men behind him.

"Forward men!" he shouted. "Drive these beasts back!" he and Derek charged forward with their soldiers behind him towards the goblin hordes. The two sides clashed, many slamming body against body. Both sides fought viciously, clashing their weapons against one another. The goblins didn't fight like men, but like vicious beast. Cutting, slashing and biting their enemies. It was a battle that most wish that they would never see. Jacob, however, was no stranger to warfare. He had fought in many battles in his lifetime. He really was an excellent fighter for his age.

This, however, was Derek's first taste of warfare. He had never fought in a battle of this magnitude. Every opponent he had faced was one at a time. He may be an experienced swordfighter, but he knew nothing of fight so many opponents at once. But that didn't stop him. The lives of his people were at stake, including Odette's. These beasts were invading his kingdom, attacking his people, and he was going to fight till his last breath.

The battle continued as both sides fought for their lives. Derek was fighting a goblin pike man. The goblin thrust his pike towards Derek's chest but he countered with a parried and brought his sword into the goblins. Another goblin came from his right side and brought its sword into an overhead down slash. Derek dodged the attack as the goblin just missed his head by a few inches. The goblin steeped forward to regain itself, exposing its back. Derek took the opportunity and brought his sword into its back. The goblin roared in pain before it collapsed to the ground. Derek looked around at the chaos around him before he caught the sight of Jacob.

Jacob fighting two goblins at once, but he wasn't struggling at all. He parried one of their attacks and blocked the other. He did a front snap kick to the one goblin's chest and stabbed his sword through the other. The one goblin regained its footing and charged at Jacob. The goblin jumped into the air and brought its sword down towards Jacob's head. He parried the sword away and thrusted his sword into the goblin's side as it fell to the ground. Out of the corner of his left eye, he could see that a goblin spearman was advancing towards him. Jacob turned to face the creature as it aimed the spear for his chest. Jacob grabbed the spear with his left hand just below the head and pushed it upward, leaving the goblin exposed. Jacob buried his sword through the chest as the goblin let out a cry of pain before falling to the ground. Another goblin advances towards Jacob from his right, catching him by surprise a little. The goblin advances with a barrage of attacks. Jacob has no problem deflecting them but he is forced to move backward. He parries the final blow and cuts his opponent down. He takes one more step back and feels a thud on each shoulder. He quickly turns around and readies his sword only to find a blade at his throat, but it doesn't puncture. He looks at the wielder of the sword and finds that it's his general Philip with a blade at his chest that belonged to Derek, who also had a blade just above his head that belonged to Joshua. It turns out that as each of them were fighting, they accidently bumped into each other thinking that they were an enemy. They all lowered their weapons upon realizing who they had their blades too. After almost killing one another, they each smiled at each other, almost finding it amusing.

"Hey!" a loud beastly voice shouted. Everyone in the room stopped and looked towards the source of the voice. Derek, Jacob, Philip and Joshua all saw that a rather large goblin at one side of the room, holding a curved sword to Odette's throat. "Drop your weapons now!" the large goblin ordered, as he brought the blade closer to her throat.

Derek was furious upon seeing his wife threatened, but there was nothing he could do. He slowly raised his sword in front of him and dropped it. Jacob, Philip and Joshua did the same. They were soon followed by their own soldiers dropping their weapons. The large goblin smiled at this.

"Humans move back!" he ordered, gesturing towards the bottom of the stairs. They all soon complied. They all gathered in the spot where the goblin was pointing packed closely together. Derek and Jacob looked up the stairs and saw that the guests that attended the party were gathered up on top of the stairs by more goblins that somehow managed to get up on the higher levels from another way. They turned to face the large goblin as made his way towards them. Once he reached five feet away from them, he grabbed Odette and shoved her towards them. Odette almost fell when Derek caught her in his arms. Odette looked around the room and saw that they were all surrounded by the vast army of goblins. Then a loud deep voice carried across the room.

"**Well, well, well**," the voice said. "**This certainly is quite a party**." Everyone looked forward at the goblins as they began to separate, forming a path across the room. Then a large armored figure appeared riding a large black horse with glowing red eyes. He made his way passed the goblins and stopped once he reached the end. He got off his horse and stood tall as a goblin soldier came and grabbed the rein of the horse. Odette looked at the stranger before them. His armor was indeed impressive. His chest plate was dark shiny and spit from one side to the other just below the chest area to increase mobility. His shoulder guards were quite larger and had a spike on each section of the guards. His chainmail leggings were covered by steel thigh guards. His steel boots that came to a point at the end went over and covered his knees caps in a way that if he were to lift his knee up, the knee guards would form three sections of flat spikes with one over lapping the other. He also wore steel gauntlets that went halfway up the forearm spread outward around the arm. Each finger tips came to a point at the end. The elbow guards had the design as the knees with three layers that came to a point when he bent his arm with a circular sheet of steel that covered both sides that would expose the vulnerable spot in the elbow guards. his cape was thick and well kept as it reached from under the shoulder guards to the floor, almost dragging on it. its colors were black on the outside and red on the inside. The helmet was the piece that completed the whole armor set. The front of the helmet stuck out in the front a little and had two large narrow holes for the eyes and a few little holes for the wearer to breath. The back of the helmet curled back a little to give the wearer the ability to move his head around. The top of the helmet consisted of two large horns that started at the top side of the helmet and began to curl inward a bit then curl outward at the top. Two smaller horns were place underneath the two larger horns. The top middle section of the helmet had a few spikes starting from the top to the back in a single row. It truly was an impressive sight. Derek stepped forward a few steps and addressed the armored stranger.

"Who are you?!" he asked sternly with anger in his voice. The large knight only chuckled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just a man who wants to enjoy the party," he said smoothly. Derek grew even angrier.

"You have no business being here," Derek half shouted, his quickly showing. "Leave this kingdom now!" The armored man began to laugh at Derek's foolishness.

"Such brave talk, for someone who has no power to backup his strong words." Derek's anger got the better of him. He went to charge at the stranger when a hand stopped him. He turned around to see that it was Jacob stopping him.

"Trust me Derek," he said softly, but his face was serious. "This is a fight that you don't want to start." Derek calmed down a little, but only just. He turned back towards the dark knight.

"I ask you again," he said. "Who are you?!" The stranger only stood there before answering.

"I guess the news of me conquering Uberta's kingdom hasn't reached here yet," he said while chuckling. Derek stood there, not quite registering what he had just heard.

"You did what?" Derek asked. The stranger smiled under his helmet.

"I conquered Uberta's kingdom, just last night in fact," he said proudly. Derek couldn't control his anger any longer. He shook out of Jacob's grip and ran straight towards the dark knight.

"Derek no!" Jacob shouted, but it was too late. Derek ran as fast as he could across the room towards his target, grabbing a sword out of the pile of weapons that had been gathered up. The armored knight didn't move. He stood where he was, waiting for Derek to come closer. Once Derek was in range, he swung the sword. The dark knight night easily dodged the attack by leaning back and stepping to the left while he grabbed Derek's right hand with his left. He twisted Derek's wrist till it was almost broke, causing Derek to scream in pain as he dropped the sword. Once he did, the dark knight brought Derek in front of him and pushed Derek in the chest with the palm of his hand, sending Derek back across the room. Upon landing, Derek skidded across the floor and landed a few feet away from everyone. Odette, Uberta and Jacob all ran out of the crowd as Derek lay on the floor holding his chest.

They all kneeled beside him, Jacob checking to see the damage. Odette, seeing her husband in this state, grew angry. She stood up and faced the stranger.

"You monster!" she shouted. "Why are you doing this? What is it that you want from us?" the large man stood there examining Odette. A few moments of silence passed before he finally spoke.

"My my, Odette," he said calmly. "You certainly have grown. How you look so much like our mother." That last statement caught Odette off guard. She struggled with her thoughts before she spoke.

"What are you talking about?" she shouted. "Who are you?" The dark knight just laughed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and brought his head down.

"It's not at all surprising that no one told you about me," he said calmly. "I have been giving quite a name for myself." He looked up at Odette. He then brought his hands toward his helmet and lifted it off his head and gave it to a goblin soldier. Odette was surprised by the sight. He looked like he was in his thirties and had long blond hair that reached just passed his shoulders. His face was clean and he had violet colored eyes. Putting it simply, he looked a lot like Odette. he spoke again

"I am the shadow that stalks you in the night. The monster under your bed. My very name strikes fear into men's hearts. I am the world's own boogieman. I am The Dark Lord Sargon." He smiled evilly at Odette. "I'm your brother."

**A/N: Wow! bet that caught you guys off guard, huh? well now you know who the Dark lord is and how he's connected to Odette. hope you guys are enjoying the suspence. please leave a review and tell me what you think :)**


	7. The Truth!

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry for last the LONG wait. This chapter was a little harder to make than the last, and I had a little writer's block. Plus I had to keep rewriting this chapter so many times and having school to deal with. But anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it. Let's see what happens next. again i did a little rewriting, i dont think i explained how he came to be the dark lord enough.  
**

Chapter 6

_Brother?! My brother?! How can this be possible?_

Odette was in complete shock. Her eyes were wide as she tried to process what she had just been told. So many questions ran through her mind. How could she possibly have a brother? It just wasn't possible. She was an only child her whole life and her father never even once mentioned that she had a brother. Her father even said that she was his only child. This was the biggest surprise of her life, and not the good kind. Sargon, upon seeing her reaction, decided to speak further.

"That's right Odette," he said smugly. "The great Dark Lord, the scourge of the earth, is your dear older brother." Odette was still too much in shock to speak. Sargon's grin increased at his sweet sister's silence and he let out a small chuckle.

"This is a lot for you to take in, I understand," he said, not at all sympathetic. "But it's all true. I am your brother. I have wanted to see you for some time but things had to be taken care of first." Finally, after regaining her thoughts, Odette looked up at him and spoke.

"But how is this possible?" she asked, still not believing the news. "How can you be my brother? I was told that I was an only child." Sargon chuckled at this.

"I suppose that our father didn't consider me his child anymore after I invaded his kingdom," he said smoothly.

"You?" she asked astonished. "You were the one that invaded father's kingdom?" Sargon grinned and nodded. Odette was even more confused. When she heard the story of her father defeating a dark lord, she imagined him being older. "But how could you have invaded? That happened just before I was born. You can't be that old." The dark lord laughed loudly at his younger sister's statement.

"You're right, I'm not," he said. "Mother and father were only eighteen when I was born. Quite young for a monarchy don't you think. You were born sixteen years after me, just one day after the great battle of the Four Kings, as you well remember. I was only sixteen when I invaded. But I was fourteen when our father had me banished."

"Banished?" Odette asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Sargon nodded.

"That's right." He saw the questioning look on Odette's face. "Apparently our father didn't take too kindly of me learning the forbidden arts and using it for my own purpose." Odette's eyebrows narrowed at the mention of the source of the misery for her and her kingdom.

"Why?" she demanded. "Why would you use such a horrible thing for your selfish deeds?" Odette was beginning to grow angry. The very thought of using the forbidden arts made her blood start to boil. Both she and Derek have spent so long trying to get rid f it from their kingdom so it won't cause anymore misery. And now, here stood a man, that claims to be her brother, wields the very power that she has been trying to get rid of. Sargon smiled smugly at her before replying.

"Why not?" was all the Dark Lord said. And that answer made Odette's anger grow stronger. But she quickly calmed down as to not let her anger get the better of her. Odette had many questions going through her head, but one stood out more than others.

"How did you come by the forbidden arts?" she finally asked. Sargon was silent for a moment, trying to remember the details. Then he smiled as he looked back at Odette.

"Do you remember the old library back at our father's castle?" Odette frowned and nodded. Sargon smiled.

* * *

***Flashback***

**Well, when I was twelve years old, I was in the library looking for a book; don't remember which one it was. I went to the back of the library to see if it would be there. And when I pulled back a certain book in the far back of the library that turned out to be a lever that opened a secret staircase. Of course, me being curious, I followed it down. I soon came to a large underground chamber, that looked like a laboratory, and that's when I saw it. There, standing in the middle of the room, sitting on a pedestal, was the forbidden arts itself.**

**I walked closer to it, not knowing exactly what it was, and reached out to touch it. But once my finger touched it, I felt a small shock. I pulled my hand away as I felt it become numb. But after the numbing sensation went away, I felt a surge of power flow through my body. It was incredible. I felt like a new person, and I liked it.**

**Then something else caught my eye. I looked over to me left at an old desk with a stack of five books upon it. I steeped closer to the desk to get a better look at the book on top. I picked it up and read the title of it. 'The Forbidden Arts' was all it said on the cover. I looked through it to see what it was about, I soon found out that the forbidden arts was also know for forbidden magic. I looked at the other books and they too, told of the forbidden arts. I couldn't read them here, for I knew that mother and father would be wondering where I was. So I took the books out of the chamber and brought them to my room so I could study them there. I read them every night and studied everything about the forbidden arts. And I have to admit, I was fascinated. **

**Over the next two years, I have trained with my new powers in secret. And as I trained, my powers grew stronger. My mind became more developed. I became more powerful than anyone could imagine in such a short amount of time. And every night I would study the books of the forbidden arts, sometimes reread the book all over again, focusing my mind around it. I was determined to master the forbidden arts.**

**Of course I had to lie about where I was going whenever I went out to train. I couldn't have people knowing what I was doing in my spare time. And I would take detours into the forest in case anybody just happened to be following me. It was called the 'forbidden arts', so obviously it was never meant to be practiced. But I didn't care. If I was going to be king, I was going to be the most powerful king of them all.**

***Flashback End***

* * *

"So you see my dear sister," Sargon finished his story and silently stared at Odette, "that's how I came by the forbidden arts. And I must say it was the best thing that ever happened to me." Odette stared at her older brother for a few moments.

"So there was a secret chamber in our own castle this whole time?" she asked. The dark lord nodded.

"Yes, right under our father's nose, and the bastard never even suspected." Odette glared daggers at her brother at his comment of her father, but didn't speak of it. Sargon spoke again. "And no, it wasn't the same chamber Rothbart used when he commanded the forbidden arts. That chamber was destroyed when he was banished and lay beyond the castle walls. The chamber I discovered was never found and is probably untouched to this day." Odette was surprised. She never knew of the secret chamber in William's castle, let alone the one Rothbart used. But she decided not to ponder with that now and focused on her brother. She now knew of HOW he came by the forbidden arts, the question is: what did he do with it?

"What did you do with the forbidden arts to have father banish you?" she asked curiously, although she had a pretty good idea, without dropping the frown from her face. Sargon smiled wickedly.

"Let's just say that I used the forbidden arts to my advantage," he answered. "As I have said, I wanted to become the most powerful king the world has ever known. And I kind of wanted to demonstrate my power." Odette's eyebrows narrowed further. She was beginning to know where this story was heading. "There was a band of thieves that was hidden in the forest close to the kingdom…"

* * *

***Flashback Continues***

**They have been terrorizing and raiding our villages for a while now. So father sent me and three dozen knights out to capture them. It was a test to see if I was worthy of being heir to the throne, or if I still needed more to learn. I was excited about it. I finally had the chance to prove myself as a worthy heir. Plus, I could also see how far I've progressed in training my powers.**

**We soon arrived at the bandit camp in the forest. And as it turned out, there were more than anticipated. They had us outnumbered five to one. But that didn't worry me, for I had a plan in mind. I ordered two dozen of my men to follow behind me on foot in three rows, eight men across, while the other remaining dozen would stay behind on horseback. Me and my men slowly sneaked closer to the camp to surprise them, and on my signal, I gave the order for them to attack. They fired their arrows upon the enemy, killing quite a few of the unsuspecting prey. After two more volleys, I gave the order to charge.**

**Everything happened so quickly. My men and I were fighting against greater odds, but I loved it. For some reason, with every man I cut down, my excitement grew. I was enjoying the battle. But as I looked around, I noticed that my men were starting to give. I hadn't noticed that we were fighting for a while, and my men were getting tired, and we still had many enemies around us. So I thought that I should end this battle quickly. I looked around towards the enemy bandits and smiled as they began to surround me. I knew that they were beginning to feel confident that they were going to win this battle. So I thought that I should shatter their spirits. I closed my eyes and quickly focused my energy within me into my hands. Then I could hear the bandits getting closer to me. So I opened my eyes as they began to glow red, and released the energy from my body and destroyed the enemies around me in a single motion. I looked around me and saw that I had just incinerated three fifths of their men. I saw the faces of the remaining bandits as they looked upon me with fear before they ran off into the forest. I was quite pleased to see the fear in their eyes as they ran away from me. It was invigorating. I looked back at my own men and saw that they had the same look in their eyes. But it didn't faze me. I ordered them to gather whatever treasures the bandits had and to return to the castle. Once we were back at the castle, I was feeling ecstatic. I had just won my first field battle, small as it was, and came out with not a single scratch. Plus, I had finally been able to test my abilities.**

**But for the next few days, things began to change. People were looking at me with fear instead of the love that they use to have. It was starting to bother me a little. No one wanted to come near me, and those that did, were very hesitant to do so. Even when I would train with the men, they would look at me as if I was going to do something horrible. I was starting to get mad about it. Then one day, four days after the battle with the bandits, father had summoned me to the throne room. He wanted to talk to me about my actions during the battle. I asked him what was wrong and he gave me a cold look. He said that what I did was unacceptable. How I used magic to destroy them in cold blood. And worst of all, it was with the forbidden arts. I asked him how did he know about them and I got my answer. He ordered a servant in with my books that I had in my room about the forbidden arts.**

**Father then looked at me again and said that the forbidden arts are an abomination and should never be practiced. He then took my books and threw them on the ground and set them on fire. I just stared at the flames, not moving an inch or showing any emotion, because honestly I didn't care. I had learned everything I could about those books and didn't have any use for them anymore. So father was actually doing me a favor by destroying them.**

**After the flames died down, father looks up at me. But seeing that I had no emotion showing on my face, he grows suspicious. He then asks me, "What do you have to say for yourself?" I looked at him with a blank face. **

**"What is there to say?" I said as a smile grew on my face. Father then grew angry as he ordered me to my room. I just stood there. Father grew angry and told me to do as he said.**

**"And if I don't," was all I said. This time father ordered two of the guards to take me to my room. But as soon as the guards went to grab me, I grabbed the on to me left, twisted his arm and threw him against the other. Then another two tried to seize me. I stepped in and did a side kick to each of their stomachs, knocking the wind out of both of them. Soon more came, and I easily took them all out. Then I was surrounded by a few dozen archers with their bows drawn. I looked at the men around me, eyeing their weapons, then I looked at my father with narrowed eyes. Father looked at me and shook his head.**

**"Are you going to come quietly or are you going to make this harder than it has to be?" father asked me. I was silent for a moment, just staring at my father. Then I smiled wickedly.**

**"Oh no, father," I replied. "I'm afraid you've just made this far too easy." And I released a firewall around me and incinerated the archers around me, just like I did with the bandits. Many parts f the throne room were in flames as I stood in the center of it all. Father stood at his throne and stared at me with fear in his eyes. I stared back at him and grinned. Then I laughed so wickedly that I could see that it sent chills down his spine. I looked back at my father while still grinning. **

**"Now you see father?!" I shouted. "The forbidden arts are a gift. They are what will make this kingdom strong. You are a weak fool for failing to realize that. I am far more powerful than you now!" I knew now that I was unbeatable. I was the most powerful being alive, and that no one could stop me. I laughed again, feeling invisible. I raised my right hand over my head, creating a fireball in my hand, prepared to deliver the final blow. As I was about to fire, everything went black. I later found out that it was my mother had sneaked up behind me and knocked me out with a club.**

**I soon woke up in a small room with bags and barrels around me. And for some reason, the room felt like it was moving up and down as I felt a throbbing on the back of my head. I went to rub the pain, but I couldn't move. I looked down and saw that I was bound together. I struggle against the bonds to see if they were real. Once I realized that they were, I grew angry. I destroyed the bonds around me and ran around towards the stairway on the far side of the room. Once I was reached the top, I soon found that I was on a large ship. I grew furious. I ran towards the stern to see if I could see land. I reached the stern and saw that we were a few miles of the coast. My blood boiled. I shouted across the sea, using the forbidden arts to enhance my voice, "YOU WILL REGRET THIS FATHER! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE! THE KINGDOM WILL BE MINE! AND SO WILL THE WORLD!"**

**Four months had passed since that day, during that time our ship had been attacked by pirates. They won that fight without much resistance from the sailors. But once they got to me, the captain tried to make me his cabin boy. Of course, I wasn't going to let some old sea trash order me around. Once I said I refused, he tried to force me to work, big mistake. I easily blew him onto pieces. The crew was so shocked at what they had just witnessed, the immediately surrendered to me. I became their new captain. I now commanded two ships; both the pirate crew and the sailors now served me. Soon after we were again attacked by pirates, but they soon surrendered to me. I now had three ships, each filled with a strong crew. We sailed across the seas to another landmass. I was getting a little tired from creating supplies for my men. So we sailed to a port to gather supplies. I ordered my sailors to gather what provisions we needed for the journey. And as my men were gathering supplies, I stopped at a local tavern to buy a drink. It wasn't that crowded, but there was still quite a few inside. I stopped at a table at the back corner with my back facing the wall, placed my hood over my head, and carefully watched the people around me. A wench came to me and asked if I wanted anything. Since I was still only fourteen, I only asked for some water and a hot meal. She wrote down the order and walked away. As I was waiting, I watched as the folks in the tavern talked. And a certain group of four men a couple of tables away from me caught my attention. I carefully listened in on their conversation without drawing attention to myself. The wench came back with my order and walked away. As I ate my meal, I studied the men in front of me.**

**They were big, muscular fellows that had all sorts of war paint on them. They wore sleeveless chainmail shirts with leather pants. The carried huge battle axes and horned helmets on their heads. One, I presumed to be the leader of the bunch, had a long dark brown bead and his messy heir just reached his shoulders. His cape was long and light tan while the others either had short brown ones or didn't have one at all. And the horns on his helmet were larger than the others. He also seemed to be cleaner than the rest of them. As I studied their features, I knew exactly who they were. They were the Saxon Raiders from the far north. And the one I was studying before was a Jarl.**

**I listened in on their conversation to see what they were up to. As I listened, I heard them chatting about certain things. Like how that they didn't have nearly as much loot as they would like to have from their raids on villages and towns. And that they needed to score something big to bring back home in order to stay on top. As I listened to their conversation, I began to think. This could be the perfect opportunity I needed. This could be the perfect revenge.**

**"What are we going to do sir?" asked one of the Saxons.**

**"I don't know," the Jarl replied. "But we need to think of something fast or it will be our hides." **

**"I think I can help," I finally spoke. The sea raiders turned to look at me. Then the stood up and placed their hands on their weapons. The Jarl stepped forward.**

**"Who are you?" he demanded. "And why are you eavesdropping on our conversation?" I didn't flinch at his loud voice. I kept my hood over my head as I spoke to him with a smile.**

**"You speak loud enough I would hardly call it eavesdropping," I said. This seemed to tick him off quite a bit. He took out his battle axe from on his back and stepped forward to swing it at me. But before he could raise his axe, I quickly tossed my plate at him, causing him to stumble trying to dodge it. I took the advantage and grabbed his hand and twisted it, forcing him to drop his weapon. Then I front snapped kicked him in his chest, causing him to fall back and crash into the table. One of his men tried to attack me from my right side. He raised his sword over his head to bring it down on my head. But not before I side kicked him in his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. The two remaining men tried to come at me from both sides, thinking that at least one of them would get to me. Seeing this coming before it happened, I jumped up and kicked them both under their chins at the same time. They both fell to the floor dazed.**

**The Jarl tried to stand up when I stomped my foot onto his chest. I took out my sword and placed the point of the blade at his throat. The Jarl looked up at me with shock and fear. I could see drops of sweat on his forehead as he slightly trembled.**

**"Who are you?" he asked me. I smiled down at him before I removed my hood, giving him full view of my face. His eyes went wide upon seeing me. Now that he had full view of me, the fear in his eyes grew tenfold. Over the past two months of my banishment, word had spread of the deeds I had done and the power I possessed. But since my banishment, I had given myself a new name; one that would strike fear into the hearts of those who spoke it.**

**"I am Sargon," I said still smiling down at him. "And I was going to make a proposal before you and your men rudely interrupted me." I took my foot off his chest and stood back to let him up. "I think I have an idea that could make us both happy." The Jarl looked at me with interest.**

**"What did you have in mind?" he asked. I smiled wickedly as I spoke.**

**"How would you like to help me invade a rich kingdom?" I asked. The Jarl looked at me puzzled.**

**"Who are you planning to attack?" I smiled as if I were amused by his question.**

**"How about King William's kingdom?" The Jarl looked at me as if I was growing a second head.**

**"And how do you plan to do that?" he asked. "His kingdom is large and powerful. And we only have a few men that could face against an entire army." A moment of silence passed as I thought about his question.**

**"How many men do you have?" I asked him.**

**"One hundred and twenty," he replied.**

**"And I have only ninety six," I said. "And how many Jarls are there in your country?" he stood silent for a moment.**

**"Over two hundred," he answered. I smiled.**

**"I want you to gather every Jarl you can find and have them bring me their armies," I told the Jarl. "And I will reward you very handsomely." I took his right hand in mine and faced his palm upward. I raised my other hand a few centimeters over his and created a pile of gold in his hand. His eyes widened at the gold raining down from my hand to his. He quickly lifted his other hand to hold more gold in his palms. The smile f greed on his face told me that he was willing to do anything I asked. Knowing in had him, I made the gold disappear. The Jarl gasped when the gold disappeared from his hands, and then looked at me for an explanation. "…But only after the job is done." Though disappointed and a little angry, the Jarl nodded in agreement and ordered his men back to the ship. Soon my plan for revenge would be complete. I will invade father's kingdom and make it the start of my glorious empire.**

**Eight months later, he brought me all the men he could find. And what an army it was. He had brought me a hundred thousand men for the invasion. I was so impressed with his actions that I rewarded him three times the amount I promised. Now my plan could be put into effect. I would strike fast and swift across the kingdom, taking them by surprise. I prepared my army for the invasion, having a total eight generals to lead different sections of the army. The final preparations took about another five months, due to the fact that many of the soldiers were hired peasants. I could easily create the weapons we needed, but the men still needed proper training. I personally handled the training sessions when I was confident that others could handle that for me. But most of the army was unsure of whether to follow the orders of a child. But with the help of the forbidden arts, I soon scared them into submission and no one questioned me again. Soon the army was ready to set sail for my father's kingdom. The ships were stocked with supplies for the campaign and the men began to pile on board.**

**It took two months, but we soon reached the eastern beaches of William's kingdom. There was a small fort close to the beach with a small town close by. It was easily taken, as was expected. But what I didn't expect were two children riding away on a horse. I knew that they would report of the invasion to my father. The element of surprise was over. But it didn't matter. I had a foothold in my father's lands and my army was vast. I spent the next two months pillaging the lands and killing its people, and those that did survive wished they were; I made sure of that. I met with a few resistances here and there, but it was nothing I couldn't handle myself. Everything was going perfectly. But little I did I know that my father had sent word to other kingdoms asking for help. What a pathetic fool, couldn't handle a fight on his own. I knew had to work faster, for I knew that my father had many powerful friends, and who knew when they would be arriving. I forced my army to move quicker through the land to reach the capital city before reinforcements arrived to aid my father. But my men were growing tired, and winter was on its way. I had no choice but to slow down the pace, or risk losing my army, though I really didn't care. All I cared about was capturing my father's kingdom, but I needed my army to do so.**

**Around four months after I first attacked, two large armies from two different kingdoms had arrived. They were also being lead by their kings to join my father. They called themselves the Allied forces. Once I received word of their arrival, I ordered my spies to watch their movements. I soon found out that I still out numbered their forces by quite a significant amount. They only had around thirty five thousand soldiers, plus my father's fifteen thousand men. I had quite an advantage. But my men still needed rest during the winter months, and the snow was causing a problem for my men to march, so I was forced to halt the march for a while. But I had my scouts keep an eye on my enemy, watching their every move.**

**Three months later, once the winter months have ended and spring, my army was on the move again, much faster now. Nothing really happened during that time due to the terrible snow storms. But my army was on its feet again. I had only lost a few men during the winter, but nothing too bad, not that I cared. I still had a substantial amount of men. My army was close to the capital city by now, it was only another month before the kingdom was mine. But all that stood in my way was the strong fortress of Grundwall. It was the key point into winning this war. If I could capture that fortress, I could capture the kingdom with even greater ease. I knew that this would be a small challenge, but why send my whole army for the job? I ordered one of my generals to take twenty thousand men and destroy that fortress, and anyone who resides in or around it. He gladly accepted the job.**

**He left the next day to complete his mission. It would two weeks for me to hear the news of his success, one week to get there, and another to get back. So I was forced to wait, but not without having a little fun terrorizing the land while I did. I had raiding parties' scour the land and set ablaze any village close by and bring me anything of value they could find. But when they came back, there were fewer in numbers. I had sent out twenty raiding parties with a hundred men each. Only six came of them back, and they were few in numbers as well. They told me that many of my raiding parties have been ambushed by the allied forces and that they were forced to retreat. I was angry by the news. Not by the fact that my raids were unsuccessful or that the allies caught my men by surprise, but that my men had run away from battle in defeat. I had the leaders of the raiding parties incinerated for running from a fight. I told the rest of my army that failure was not acceptable. It was either they died in battle, or they died by my hand, and that would be a horrible fate. I later received word from my scouts that the army that I had sent to Grundwall had been destroyed. As it turned out, the Allies have been waiting for them. They set up an ambush around Grundwall, waiting for my men to approach. Their plan was to wait until they were distracted with the siege; then mounted a counter attack from the rear, taking them by surprise. My Saxon hordes were completely destroyed. But my scouts said that they took a substantial amount of the enemy as well, weakening their forces. But I knew that the Allies would continue to fight till the very end.**

**This was going to be a bit more challenging than I had thought. But it was something I expected. When facing a bigger foe, ambushing your enemy is a common tactic. And I must admit, it worked out pretty well for my enemy. But it was a tactic that wouldn't last long. I was only a few weeks away from the capital. And I was still traveling with a vast Saxon army. They wouldn't dare attack me with such odds against them. Well, not sneak attack anyway. But I knew that they were going to plan something. And I had a feeling I knew what it was. There was a large field between my position and the capital. It would be a perfect last stand for the Allies. My generals advised me to go around them and head for the capital itself and not waste time in this foolish battle. I told them that I would rather crush my enemies on the spot when I have the chance to. Killing my father and his royal friends would bring me great pleasure. It was there that we would have our final battle, the battle that would determine the fate of the whole kingdom.**

**I marched my army to meet my enemy. It took us a week, but when we reached it, the Allies were already waiting for me. The field was large enough to sustain both our armies. The field was long, lush, and green, surrounded by trees. On the east side of the field was a hill that I had control over. The rest of the area was on a lover elevation, giving me the uphill advantage. I gazed upon my enemies below me, seeing the colors of their flags. It was quite an impressive army, but they didn't have as many men as I had thought. I could only see around thirty five thousand, a fifth of the cavalry, a third of them archers, and the rest infantry. Whereas my numbers reached the numbers of eighty thousand, a fourth of them archers and the rest of them infantry. The Saxons were not the sort to use cavalry since they spent much of their time out at sea. I watched from my hilltop on my horse and looked at the terrain. The trees would provide excellent cover for the Allies. And since they were here first, I expected that they had more men within the trees. So I sent five thousand of my best infantry to guard my rear. And at a distance, I could see my father, King William.**

**I moved my men into formation bellow the hill top and waited for the Allies to make their first move. Then I noticed a white flag was being held high. It appeared that they wanted to negotiate terms. I smiled at this. They were trying to make a last effort to save their kingdom without more death. I didn't care for the lives of my men, but I wanted to at least hear what pitiful terms they wanted to discuss. I rode down the hill and ordered my generals to follow. The three kings, including my father, rode out to meet me. We met in the middle of the battle field. My father and the other two kings, King Jacob and King Dmitri, along with five other knights, approached me. Since I had my robes on and my hood and mask up, leaving only my eyes visible, they couldn't see my face and I was sure they didn't know my identity, only that I was a sorcerer leading a barbarian army. I waved my hand and one of my generals stepped forward and addressed the kings, demanding to know their terms. William then stepped forth and demanded that my army leaves his lands and to never return. My generals laughed at him, mocking him and saying that he had no power to demand such things. But my father wasn't fazed. He then asked for me to remove my helmet so he could at least know the face of the great warlord Sargon. I smiled at this. Since I had thought that this would be my father's last request; I should give him the honor of seeing his better. I slowly raised my hands to my hood and mask and removed them from my face. I looked my father directly in the eye and smile as I said, "Hello father."**

**The look on my father's face was priceless. His eyes grew twice as large when he gazed upon his enemy. He never expected it to be his own son. Jacob and Dmitri were equally surprised. They looked at each other in disbelief, then back at me. I was quite amused by the sight. They looked completely ridiculous. I should have expected this to be their reactions. The look of pure shock on their faces was too much for me to bear. I laughed at them. This seemed to bring them back to reality. Father was the first to recover and speak up.**

**"What are you doing here?!" he demanded. "You were banished from this kingdom!" I only smiled at my father. He truly was a fool.**

**"I told you that I would have my revenge," I said. "And to claim what is rightfully mine."**

**"But why are you doing this to the kingdom? To your people?" I just smirked at him.**

**"Why not?" I said without taking the smirk off my face. "I think it seems fun to torture the lives of my father's kingdom." I laughed at the thought of causing more harm to others. My father had a hurt look on his face before he replies.**

**"But these people have done nothing wrong to you, my son," he said to me. "These people are innocent and deserve to be treated with respect. You were once their loving prince." I grew angry at my father's insolence. He spoke to me as if I was still a small child, his child.**

**"That all Changed when you had me banished father!" I shouted at him. At this my father narrowed his eyes.**

**"You tried to kill me if I remember correctly," he scolded at me. "I told you that the forbidden arts only corrupt those who use it. What was I suppose to do? Let you corrupted this kingdom?" I smirked at him.**

**"Well father," I said to him. "You made an even bigger mistake by letting me live. You've only given me the chance to strengthen my power. Now it's time to finish this once and for all." Father glared at me.**

**"So be it." After that, we went to our own sides of the battlefield. Once I reached my men, I ordered my generals to get into position and prepare to attack. They all went their separate ways to different sections of the army, ordering the troops to get ready for battle. Once they got into position, I waited for my father to make the first move. I saw my father's own commanders getting into position as well, but at a slower rate. I took this opportunity to catch them while they were still unprepared. I gave the signal to order the army to advance down the hill. My generals ordered for the drums to sound, signaling the army to march. A little while down the hill, I ordered my troops to halt. I didn't want to give up my position on higher ground just yet. I wanted to draw them in closer, thinking I was going to come to them. I looked down the hill at my father's army. They were all in their battle formations and on the march up the hill. I saw my father leading the attack along with King Jacob, but I didn't see Dmitri anywhere. I wondered where he ran off to, but didn't ponder it for long. I figured that he left to lead the sneak attack on my rear flank as I suspected. I wasn't worried though because I had five thousand of my best warriors covering my main army. I gave another signal for my archers to advance ahead of the army with a few units of pike men in front. Once they were in position, I gave the signal for my commanders leading the units to order my archers to ready their arrows.**

**As the Allied army marched up the hill, my commanders ordered my archers to open fire upon them. But as they released their arrows, my enemies raised their shields over their head for cover, but my archers only managed to kill a few men. Another volley was fired upon them but they still advanced toward my lines. So I raised my arms to the sky and used a lot of my power to create a thunderstorm. It was meant to lower the Allies' morale once they witnessed the power I possessed. The thunder roared loudly and the winds blew hard as the rain poured down. I was surprised to see that none of the Allies were affected by this. But it didn't matter to me whether or not they were affected. Things would be going my way soon. **

**I smiled and gave the order for the first half of my lines to charge. My army gave a loud shout as they descended down the hill. As my lines grew closer to the enemy, the Allies halted their march and their infantry lowered their spears and pikes towards my men. Both sides clashed and the battle began. And since my men charged downhill, the force of the impact was enough to break through their lines. But since the rain poured hard on the field, the ground turned to mud and caused many of my men to slip and be impaled by the enemy spears. I lost quite a bit of men during the charge but the work was done. They broke through their lines and the battle would soon be mine. My men still outnumbered then and they would soon be too tired to continue to fight the rest of my men that had yet to join the battle. I looked upon the battle field and saw my father and King Jacob fighting valiantly on their horses against my men. They were great swordsmen, but it was going to take more than that to defeat me. But I was still pondering about Dmitri. I wondered if he really did take a substantial amount of men to take me from the rear as I thought he would. Maybe they had more men than I originally thought they did. But I wasn't going to worry about that now. I had a large force at my rear and I was more focused on destroying my enemies in front of me. I was eager to see their heads on spikes on top of the gates of my new kingdom. I drew my sword out and ordered the rest of my army to advance towards the enemy.**

**As my men rushed down the hill, I paced my horse so as not to slip on the muddy terrain and unnecessarily crash down to the ground. The battle continued as my men began to push the Allies back. I smiled at the wonderful sight. The battle was almost over and I could see victory not far behind. I charged the battle field on my stallion and killed as many of the Allies as possible. Seeing my opponents fall at the edge of my sword was invigorating. I had longed to drive my blade into the flesh of my enemies for a long while. The thrill of slicing flesh and hearing the screams of agony was pure pleasure to me. I loved the chaos of battle. I looked ahead of me and saw my father. I smiled wickedly as I began to make my way towards him, cutting down anyone that stood in my way. But as I drew closer to him, he made eye contact with me. I could see the sadness in his eyes as he gazed upon me. But I only had the thought of slicing his throat in that very moment. But before I could reach him, an arrow had struck my horse in the head and we collapsed to the ground. I quickly recovered and stood up. Once I was on my feet, I saw my father riding towards me. I took my sword and readied myself for the attack. Father brought his sword back behind him as to strike me down as he grew closer to me. I saw this attack coming and stepped to my right side just as he rode by, but not without striking the legs of his battle horse. As the horse collapsed on the muddy ground, my father was caught underneath it. I advanced towards my father and stepped on top of the horse looking down at my father. We made eye contact once again and stayed like that for a moment. Then I raised my sword with the point facing down at my father. I was about to deliver the final blow when someone tackled me from behind. We rolled on the ground as he released his grip on me due to the impact of us falling on the ground. I stood up to look at the attacker to see that it was King Jacob.**

**"You traitor!" he shouted at me before he charged. I grabbed my sword off the ground and blocked his attack. Our blades clashed over and over again. The sparks from the metal shined with every strike. With every attack that we made, a counter was formed. Although we were fighting at our fullest, I was gaining the upper hand. Then my father decided to join in the fun and it was two against one. This was the most challenging fight I had ever been in, but also the most fun. I was finally getting a chance to challenge myself and getting the chance to kill my father in one moment was invigorating. As the battle continued, I noticed that they were both getting slower and tired. I took this opportunity to kick Jacob away and finish my father off quickly. I kicked my father's right leg in and punched him in the face. He dropped his sword and stumbled to the ground. I then stood over him to, once again, deliver the final blow. I raised my sword and inch over his throat. **

**Then suddenly I heard trumpets in the distance. The sound seemed to be coming from behind my lines. I turned around to see what it was. My eyes grew wide as I saw Dmitri himself leading a host of cavalry towards my rear flank. I couldn't understand why this was happening. I had Five thousand of my best soldiers guarding my flanks. Then I realized that these were Saxons- sea raiders. They had no experience in fighting cavalry. I cursed at myself for forgetting such a simple flaw. Then I looked down at my father, who still lay on the ground at my feet. My hate for him grew stronger now. I raised my sword again, but I never got the chance to bring it down. I saw Jacob coming towards my left side. I stepped to the side and dodged his attack. Jacob helped my father to his feet and the battle continued. I took a quick glance at my rear flank only to see my army slowly getting picked apart. They had surrounded my army somehow and I was losing the battle. I continued the fight with my father and Jacob when I heard a horse approaching us. I turned to see that Dmitri was advancing towards me with his lance down. I smiled as I saw the attack coming. I stepped aside and stroke the legs of his horse, but Dmitri was already out of the seat before the horse collapsed. He took his sword out and stood next to me father and King Jacob. Things were not going well for me now. My army was being crushed and I was outnumbered by three Kings. I had to think of something fast. I was not going to be anyone's prisoner. I called out to my men.**

**"RETREAT!" I shouted. Then I delivered my final blow. I fired a fireball at my father to at least get my revenge. But Dmitri stepped in front of him and received the blow instead. I grunted in frustration but then smiled. _At least I took out one of those fools, _I thought to myself. Then I vanished in a flash of light away from the battle field. My army fled to their ships that had been moved to a closer location, but very few made it. Out of the hundreds of ships that landed, only one ship escaped, and I of course was on it. I was absolutely humiliated. I, the great warlord Sargon, was defeated by a foolish king. My anger boiled within my blood. My entire army was destroyed. Only a few dozen remained. How could this have happened? I was so careful with my planning. My only mistake was not taking into consideration that the Saxons had no battle experiences with horsemen. My plans were completely ruined, but not yet destroyed. I was still alive and well and would soon rebuild my forces and invade once again. I was not going to let one defeat stop me from becoming Emperor of the earth. My revenge would come soon enough. Then a terrible storm hit****. **

**The storm went on for days and the ship couldn't take any more of it. On the fifth day of the storm, my ship crashed into large rocks. The ship was completely destroyed. I woke up on a beach in an unknown place, unsure of what to do. How long had I been unconscious? What was this place? Am I dead? So many questions ran through my mind. I wondered the coast line for a few hours, searching for food. The land looked barren and lifeless. My powers were too weak for me to create anything. night was soon approaching and I needed to find shelter. I found a tree that I could clime in for the night and stay off the ground. The next morning I decided to travel further inland and search more. A few hours latter, with no luck of finding food, I began to feel weaker. I collapsed on the ground from pure exhaustion, but remain conscious. Then I began to hear noises all around me. They seemed quiet at first. I thought it was just my imagination. But then they began to grow louder. The sound of growling and snarling began to fill my ears. I began to see things moving around me. My vision was blurry so i couldn't make out the shapes. But I knew I wasn't imagining it because they began to move closer to me, and there were more of them. They had completely surrounded me but I was too exhausted to move. But as they drew closer, I made one last effort to use my powers to drive them off. I stood up and shouted with all my might as I created a force that pushed the figures back. Then everything went black.  
**

**I woke in a complete daze. Everything was blurry. All I knew was that I awoke on what seemed to be a bed. It was a mattress made up of different types of fur on the floor. Once my vision became clear, I looked around the room. I was in a corner of a large stone room that was almost empty. There was an old wooden table in the middle of the room. Lit torches hung on each side of the the wall at the opposite end of me was what looked like to be a map. A large bookshelf was next to it and a few reddish cloths hung on the walls all around. Everything in the room look old and the room itself looked to be in ruin. By the same wall where I lay was a window. I slowly stood up and mad my way towards the window. It seemed to be around noon because it was light out and it was in the late evening when I blacked out. I looked out the window into the bright light. Once I could see clearly, I astonished by what I saw. I was in a HUGE ruin castle. It was the tallest structure I had ever seen. Far bigger than my father's castle. I looked out into the landscape and saw that it was as barren as I had thought. T****he dessert went as far as I could see, and beyond. ****But it wasn't like most deserts. the terrain had a greyish color to it and the dark clouds added to the color. The mountains that spread across the land also had the same gloomy texture. I turned around to look at the table to see a tray of food, or at least what I thought was food. It had some sort of meat on it, but it wasn't cooked. With what little strength I had in me, I used my powers to start a small fire to cook my meat. As I ate my food, the door opened. I turned around quickly to see my captures. But what I saw stunned me. There, in front of me, stood five horrifying, green creatures, two on each side and one large one. ****I stood ready to fight. But then something strange happened; they slowly dropped to the ground and bowed to me. At First I didn't know what to think. Could these be the same creatures that I had seen just before I fell unconscious? This all seemed strange to me. Then the larger creature raised its head to me and said something that sounded like "master."  
**

**The next few weeks I stayed with these creatures, that I soon learned to be Goblins. The larger Goblin that first spoke to me told me his name was Krugnor. He also told me of their history. As it turns out, the goblins have been looking for a master for a long time. But they couldn't pick just any leader, they had to be a powerful sorcerer with the power of the forbidden arts. But when their last master was killed a few centuries ago, they were forced to fend for themselves. They weren't as smart as humans, but they knew how to survive in this barren landscape. This was actually the type of terrain that they preferred to others. The Goblins have no love of daylight and the dark clouds provided just the cover. But when it came to food, they would sometimes hunt for it or raid any ****nearby ****nomadic groups that dared to venture into these forsaken lands, and a lot more showed up than was expected. But now that they have finally found a master, they could become the strong race that they once were. And I was going to just that, and more. I had plans for these creatures, BIG plans. I had Krugnor gather all the Goblins he could and bring them to this castle to have it rebuilt. Once complete, I would begin to build my armies once again. But this time, they would be the strongest force this world has ever seen. ****It took five years to have the Castle rebuilt. But once it was completed, it was the finest Fortress I had ever seen. I asked Krugnor if the castle had a name. Once he told me it didn't, I knew the perfect name for it.**

_**The Fortress of Pyro' Morte.**_

**Once I had everything to perfection. I had my armies invade nearby Kingdoms and destroyed everything in their path. After many years of my reign, the people began to whisper my name with terror. They spoke of my power and the terror I brought to the land. I was so well feared that I soon accepted the name of Dark Lord.**

***Flashback Ends***

* * *

"So now you know of my past, dear sister," the Dark lord finished telling his tale. "I do hope that I made things clear for you." Odette was astonished, and not in a good way. She almost couldn't believe the story she had just heard. But everything that he said made sense. But She still couldn't believe that this horrible monster was her brother. Sargon then shifted his gaze passed Odette to look at the other two sitting next to Derek, who was now sitting upright trying to stand up. "Jacob!" he said in a fake enthusiastic voice. "I had almost forgotten that you were here. How wonderful it is to see you again." Jacob only glared at him.

"Too bad I can't say the same," he replied in a venomous tone. But Sargon didn't flinch and only smiled.

"Now now," he began in a casual voice. "Is that any way to talk to your best student?"

"YOU ARE NO STUDENT OF MINE!" Jacob shouted as he rose from the ground. "You lost that right when you betrayed William!" The dark lord just smiled and stared at his former master. He then chuckled and lowered his head towards to floor.

"What can I say?" he said plainly, and then looked back at Jacob. "He honestly wasn't fit to be king. I was the one with the power and knew plenty of how to run a kingdom."

"By using fear?!" Jacob shouted coldly. Sargon grinned and shrugged.

"Whatever works best," he replied. Jacob glared daggers at him but remained silent. There was nothing else to be said. Every word said by the Dark Lord made Jacob's blood boil. Sargon always had a way of playing with his enemies, trying to get them to make the first move. Jacob may have been Sargon's master, but he knew that his chances of winning this fight were very slim. So he remained silent. Odette looked from Jacob to Sargon and back again.

"You know him?" she asked Jacob. The king lowered his eyes towards the ground and narrowed his eyebrows.

"Unfortunately yes," Jacob replied. "When he was much younger, I would train in hand to hand combat."

"And I was quiet a fast learner I might add," Sargon cut in. Jacob glared at him.

"Yes you were," he said. "But you never learned the whole purpose of my teachings. You only sought to use your skills to harm others and I regret everything I have done for you after you betrayed us!" The Dark Lord only chuckled at his remark.

"Well, can't change the past can we?" Sargon said. Just then another voice was heard.

"So you're the one that killed my father?" All eyes turned to Derek, who was struggling to get off the floor. He had heard the whole story and was furious at the man that stood in his castle for the crimes he committed. And now learning that the man that killed his father was right here in front of him sent his blood boiling through the roof. Sargon saw the look in the young prince's eyes and grinned.

"Maybe," he taunted. "I killed a lot of men during that time." This statement made Derek angrier.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB!" Derek shouted. "You were the one that killed my father, King Dmitri!" Sargon gave a fake surprised look on his face.

"Really? That was your father?" he said sarcastically, and then he shrugged. "Well I shouldn't be surprised; you share the same amount of brain cells and skills in battle. Both, I have to say, not very impressive." That did it. Derek lost all sense of composer and stepped towards the Dark lord, but he didn't get very far. Jacob had already wrapped his arms around Derek in order to stop him from making another foolish mistake.

"Let me go!" demanded Derek, struggling in Jacob's grip. "He killed my father! And now he mocks him!"

"Don't make the same mistake twice Derek," Jacob whispered loudly in his ear. "He likes to use his words to taunt you into making a foolish mistake. Don't listen to his words." Odette walked over to her husband and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Derek," she said in a calm, sweet voice. "You must calm down. Everything will be fine." Although she said it, she didn't really believe her own words. But this seemed to calm Derek down as he looked into the eyes of his true love. His shoulders relaxed and released a deep breath. Jacob, after feeling Derek relax a little, slowly released Derek from his grasp. After Derek calmed down, Odette turned around to face her older brother.

"What do you want from us?" she asked with a hint of hate in her voice. Sargon smiled and replied.

"All I want from you, my dear Odette…" he paused. "…Is your soul."

**A/N: Again, I'm sooooo sorry for the long wait. It's not easy going into detail and being brief about the war in the past. And just to let you guys know, I wanted the flash backs to be more of a memory of the past instead of Sargon going that much into detail of his past. Hope you guys enjoyed going into the Dark lords past. Who knows what will come in the future?**


	8. Taking Action!

**A/N: I'm really sorry that this took so much longer to post up, I'm not having as much motivation as I use to. Plus I've been trying to sign up for the marines. I hope things are getting good for you guys. Thank you for your fantastic reviews. I may rewrite this chapter though because I don't think it's that good. But let me know if I should or not. **

Chapter 7

The room fell silent. The people in the room looked at the Dark Lord with great horror. The thought of stealing someone's soul was unthinkable and too horrible to imagine. The Goblins, on the other hand, looked at their master with wide, evil grins. Some even chuckled at the idea. Derek and Jacob stood frozen to where they were. Jacob looked at his former student full of hate. He knew that this creature was evil, but to take the soul of his sister was the worst possible thing anyone could imagine. Derek was full of fear. Not for himself but for his wife. He had been through so much with her and almost lost her twice. Now here stood a man wanting to take her away from him. Odette was the one in most horror. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth hung open just a bit. She couldn't believe her ears. He wanted to take her soul. She knew of what the Forbidden arts could do, but she never would have thought of this. Out of instinct, Odette raised her right hand to her chest but kept her eye forward.

"My soul?" she whispered aloud, but not enough for anyone to her. Sargon, however, knew what she was thinking and chuckled at her.

"That's right my dear sister," he said. As the last living member of our family, I need your soul to complete my plan." Odette, still full of terror, glared at her older brother.

"What could you possibly want with my soul?!" Odette demanded. Sargon grinned.

"Well," Sargon began, "As I spent my years in the land I now call Mortenera, I learned that it was there that the Forbidden arts was created. Krugnor," he gestured to the large Goblin beside him on his right, "told me of a chamber that lay at the top of my fortress. Unlike most secret chambers that you would find deep beneath castles where no one could find them, this chamber was the source of all the forbidden arts. It was there that I began to do more research. Books of the past rulers of this land made records of their accomplishments. And as it turns out, there were five other Dark lords before me, each more powerful than the last. The last Dark Lord, Memphis, was on the verge of discovering eternal life." Odette's, and many others, eyes widened at the words 'eternal life.' Could it be possible to live forever?

_Could this be what he wants my soul for? _She thought to herself. But the real question was: _why my soul? _Odette looked up to meet her brother's gaze.

"But why have you come all this way just for my soul?" Not that she wish for anyone else's soul to be taken. She was just curious, with good reasoning, to know why he needed her soul specifically. The Dark Lord grinned at her question.

"To be perfectly honest Odette," Sargon said, "I didn't for your soul at first." Odette raised one eyebrow at this statement. "I was originally going to use our father's soul to finally have my revenge. But then I did more research on it and found that I needed a young soul in order to keep my life eternal. Memphis used this on his own father, but his life was only prolonged, not eternal. Once I learned this, I thought that I would never become immortal. But then a few years ago, one of my spies came to me one day and told me that I had a younger sister. I was surprised by the news. I thought that I was an only child. But my spy told me that you were born just after my invasion failed." He looked to meet Odette's eyes. "And I knew then that I could become immortal." Odette looked at Sargon with a confused look on her face. She still didn't understand what this all had to do with her. Sargon saw this in her face and continued.

"Well you see Odette," he said. "According to Memphis' research, the key to the spell of eternal life requires the soul of the same bloodline as the user. Memphis had no more living relatives during the time of his reign so he couldn't perform the spell. So I thought I would give it a try. And since you're the last living member of our family; that makes you the most likely candidate. Nothing personal of course." He grinned wickedly at his last statement. This made Odette's anger grew larger. He wanted to use her soul for immortality? Like hell she was going to let that happen. She was not going to let the Forbidden arts destroy her life again. But before she could reply to her brother Uberta stepped in.

"You selfish, ungrateful, and good for nothing, evil pig!" she shouted. "How dare you come here, destroy my kingdom, terrorizes these people, and pretend that stealing someone's soul is no big deal. You villains are all the same. You never have any respect for royalty and care only for power. But you all have one thing in common; you always lose to good people. You lose to good King William before and you will lose now. Because bad people stand no chance against good people…" As Uberta kept on ragging on, Sargon rolled his eyes. Now he was going to listen to this old hags voice going on about how good always wins? Sargon's expression turned to boredom as the old queen talked more and more. He should be used to it was younger and had to listen to her lectures when he got in trouble when his parents weren't around. He had almost forgotten how dreadfully boring and annoying Uberta's voice was.

Jacob was worried for Uberta's sake. He knew that this wasn't going to end well. But he knew that when Uberta stared, there was almost no way of getting her to stop. Although he knew Sargon's patience would wear thin soon. He had to be prepared for anything to happen. He turned his head slightly to look behind him and spotted his general Philip and Uberta's captain Joshua. They were looking at him with questioning looks. He gave them a nod to tell them to be prepared. As if reading his thoughts, they both nodded in understanding. They slowly stepped closer to them to react instantly should anything happen.

Derek, meanwhile, stood there with his mind running at full speed. How could he get Odette out of here? They were completely surrounded by hoards of Goblins. But he couldn't think of anything. He just hoped that something would happen so that his beloved wife wouldn't be taken from him. Then he caught something out of the corner of his left eye by the buffet tables. He turned to see what it was and saw his best friend Bromley peaking over the table. Derek sighed with relief that his best friend wasn't captured by the Goblins. But he soon became curious to know what on earth he was doing.

Bromley kept on peaking over the tables to get a good look at the Dark lord in the center of the room. He tried not to reveal himself to the Goblins that stood not too far away from him. What Rogers had said to him still wondered around in his mind. He hated being called a coward. But he hated it even more that he knew it was true. So now he was determined to prove everyone, including himself wrong. In his left hand he grasped a bow that he had found on the tables during the battle. But now all he needed was an arrow. He searched around the table to find one, but there was none to be found. He went under the table to see if there was anything he could use, but there was nothing. Bromley crawled to the other side of the table and slowly lifted the skirts off the floor an inch or two. He lowered himself onto his stomach and brought his head to the floor and peek out towards the room. So far no one had noticed him. The Dark lord still stood in the center of the room facing forward looking completely bored as Uberta kept on talking. Bromley took this opportunity to look about the area close to him for something of use. He still couldn't find anything.

Then something caught his eye to his left. There, not too far from him, stood a Goblin that was very close to the table. But it wasn't the Goblin that caught his eye; it was what hung down its right thigh. It was a quiver of arrows that caught his attention. And better yet, the butts of the arrows were facing towards the table, not even a foot away. Bromley lowered the skirts of the table and made his way towards his target. He moved as quickly and quietly as possible as to not be discovered. Once he reached the spot where he assumed the Goblin was, he lowered himself again and peeked out to make sure he was in the right spot. And he was! There the Goblin stood just ahead of him and with the quiver still hanging at its side. Fortunately for Bromley, there was a slit in the table cloth from where one set of covers ended and another began. Bromley quietly sipped his hand between the cloths and slowly reached out for one of the arrows. He watched to make sure the Goblin didn't notice his movements. So far the Goblin didn't. With sweat sliding down his forehead, Bromley continued to reach for the closest arrow to him. Now he was only four inches away from touching the arrow. Just a little bit farther and… There! He now had the arrow in his reach.

He grabbed the arrow and slowly withdrew it from the quiver. Bromley looked up at the Goblin as he retrieved the arrow and saw that the goblin was still facing ahead. Bromley pulled the arrow slowly until the tip of the arrow was in view. Then he pulled his arm back under the table. Once there, Bromley released a long breath he didn't realize he was holding in. he looked at the arrow in his hand and smiled. The tip of the arrow had a hook on the bottom of t so that once it hit home, it would stay in and be extremely painful to pull. He had done something he had never done, or even thought of doing, before. But now that he accomplished it, he was now determined to finish the job he had in mind.

Bromley moved from under the table to the other side. Once there, he peeked over to see if the Dark lord was still where he was before. He was. Sargon was still listening to Uberta ranting on about him being a horrible being. From the look on his face, Sargon was getting increasingly impatient. But he was distracted. It was now or never. Bromley slowly stood up to where his bow was just high enough to where he could have a clear shot over the table. He knocked the arrow on the string and slowly pulled back. He looked carefully at his target in the center of the room, still distracted. Bromley pulled the string all the way back. He slowly let out a deep sigh and released the arrow. The arrow slid smoothly across the bow and soared over the table. The arrow came closer to the intended target. It came closer and closer to the right side of the Dark lord's temple. Closer and closer it came. Bromley smiled. There was no possible way that the Sargon could survive this. No way could he… but he did.

Just before the arrow hit home, Sargon caught the arrow, with just two fingers. The arrow was just two inches from hitting him. Sargon was still facing ahead when he caught the arrow. The room was in complete silence after what just happened. The people all gasped when Sargon caught the arrow that they didn't even see. Even Uberta was silent. Derek, Jacob, Philip and Joshua were the most shocked out of everyone. Each one of them has played a few rounds of Catch and Fire, but never have they seen anyone catch an arrow like that before, with just his two fingers at that. The Goblins were in a small uproar when the saw their master almost killed. But they were soon quiet when Sargon raised his left hand for silence. Sargon looked at the arrow in his hand and began to chuckle slightly. He glanced over to where the arrow came from. Bromley stood there shaking, unable to believe what just happened. Sargon looked from the arrow in his hand to Bromley, then back to the arrow. Then, with his thumb, he broke off the arrow tip and held it in between the points of the gauntlet on his thumb and his pointer finger. He glanced at Bromley once more and grinned wickedly as he pointed the arrow tip towards him.

"Here, catch," he said then flicked the arrow tip at him. But with the added force of the forbidden arts, the arrow tip shot like a bullet. The arrow shot across the room and hit Bromley in his right shoulder and passed clean through and hit the wall behind him and was stuck and inch in. The force of the impact from the arrow tip was so strong that Bromley was actually forced back off his feet and hit the wall five feet behind him. As Bromley fell to the floor, Derek tried to run to him but was stopped by six Goblins that stood in his way. Derek tried to force his way passed him but the Goblins kept him back. Derek looked passed the Goblins to his best friend that lay still on the floor. He began to fear the worst. He tried even harder to get passed the Goblins but one used the butt of his spear to try and hit Derek in the stomach. Derek managed to grab the spear but was hit on the back by another Goblin. The pain only made Derek angrier and more determined to reach his friend. A third grabbed his right arm and another grabbed his left. He fought the Goblins as much as he could but he was outmatched. The Goblins were only holding him so he could watch his friend suffer. But Derek tried even harder to break free of them, punching and kicking at them.

As Derek tried desperately to get passed the six Goblins, who were still standing in his way from reach his best friend, two more Goblins made their way towards Bromley. They picked up the still body and brought him to their master as blood dripped onto the floor with every step they took. Once they reached their master, the Goblins dropped him face down on the floor in front of him. Sargon grinned as he stared at the seemingly lifeless body in front of him. He then looked up at Derek, who was still fighting to reach his friend. Sargon chuckled at him.

"Oh relax," he said to the fighting prince. "He's not dead, he's just unconscious." Derek stopped fighting to look at the Dark lord then to Bromley. Sargon then rolled Bromley onto his back with his foot. There Derek could see his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath he took. But his breathing was faint and could almost barely be seen. Sargon smiled wickedly. "But just barely."

Sargon looked at his two Goblins that stood in front of him then to Bormley's unconscious body and he nodded his head upward. The Goblins, seeming to read his thoughts, grabbed Bromley and dragged him across the room to where Derek and the rest of them were. Once they were close enough, they tossed Bromley towards them and walked back to where their comrades where. The six Goblins that stood in front of Derek did the same.

Derek immediately ran to his unconscious friend and dropped to his knees beside him. Odette and the others did the same. Puffin, Speed, Jean-Bob, and Whizzer, who were hiding in the crowd, ran forward as well. They all gathered around Bromley as Derek examined the wound on his friend's shoulder. The arrow had passed clean through his shoulder, but it was bleeding like a waterfall. Out of instinct, Odette tore a piece of the bottom of her dress to make a bandage. She tied it around Bromely's shoulder tightly to stop the flow of blood as much as possible. Jacob watched as she tied the bandage. He was surprised that she thought of something that quickly.

_She must have done this before_, he thought to himself. He turned around and glared at Sargon. But the glare was just full of anger; it was also full of wonder and curiosity. That arrow that Bromley shot was perfectly aimed. It was silent and it should have been out of the Dark Lord's peripheral vision. It was a shot that should have easily killed him. _So how the hell did he catch that?_ This was the question that bothered him the most. And how Sargon just flicked an arrow tip and it fired faster than anything he had ever seen. Perfectly aimed to add to it. Jacob knew better than to think that Sargon's shot to that area was just coincidence. Sargon wanted to dishearten them so they would fear him more. And almost everyone in the room was already terrified. Sargon had indeed improved over the years. But just how much more powerful was he?

Sargon saw the look in Jacob's eyes and grinned. It was always a pleasure to get under his former mentor's skin. He had been doing it a lot while he was training with him as a kid. And he would try everything he could to improve his skills and annoy his mentor, in a fun way of course. But now he enjoyed seeing Jacob angry but unable to do anything about it. It was an invigorating feeling to be powerful. He looked from Jacob to Odette and everyone else crowded around the foolish boy on the ground. He chuckled at the sight.

"So much fuss over such a foolish peasant," Sargon mocked. This got him the reaction he wanted. Derek shot him a glare with the intent to kill. This man had done so much. He destroyed his mother's kingdom, invaded his own kingdom, threatened to steal his beloved wife's soul, _and_ nearly killed his best friend since childhood. This was getting too much for him to bear. He stood up and faced the Dark lord. He was about to step forward when a hand stopped him, forcefully pushing on his chest. He looked at the owner to see Jacob glaring at him.

"Haven't you learned anything by now?!" he said in a low but harsh tone. "He's trying to get you angry so that you will do something as foolish as what you were just about to do, again!" Derek shifted his gazed to the floor as the anger that was inside him was boiling over. He wanted nothing more than to drive a hot blade through his heart, if he even had one. But Jacob was right. After what happened before, charging head on straight into a fight that he knew he wouldn't win wasn't a good idea. But he couldn't just stand here and do nothing. The life of his wife is at stake, as well as his kingdom. There had to be something he could do. But he only had one thing in mind. Derek looked at Jacob then to the Dark Lord then back. Derek let out a big sigh. He knew what he was going to do, and he knew no one was going to like it. He looked back at Jacob.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I can't stand here and do nothing. This is my kingdom and it is my duty to protect it." He began to walk forward. Jacob, knowing exactly what Derek had in mind, tried to stop him.

"Derek!" Jacob shouted as he reached out to stop him. He grabbed Derek's shoulder but Derek jerked it away. He turned his head around to look Jacob in the eyes. He was determined to finish this. Jacob saw this and realized that there was nothing he could say that could change his mind. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Odette, seeing as Jacob had ceased from stopping Derek, stepped forward as well.

"Derek, please!" she shouted as she tried to run after him but Jacob stopped her by wrapping his arms around her. She struggled to break free of his grip but he wasn't letting go of her. Derek, hearing the plea in his wife's voice, turned around to look at her. He knew she wouldn't let him risk his life like this, but it was something he had to do in order to try to save his kingdom, and more importantly, Odette. Odette seemed to see this in him, but she still struggled to break free of Jacob's grip.

Derek turned to face the Sargon. He stepped forward a few more paces before stopping a few meters away. Derek stood there facing his enemy. Sargon smiled at the smaller form in front of him. Sargon was at least half a foot taller than him but Derek was unfazed. Even thought Sargon got a good blow to his chest before, Derek was calmer now and more focused. The room was silent for a moment before Derek spoke.

"I challenge you to a duel," was all he said. The people in the crowd gasped at Derek's words. The Goblin hoards began to talk in their own language among themselves, wondering how this would turn out. Either with Derek killed, or brutally maimed. Odette went berserk as she struggled against Jacob's hold on her. She was not going to let this happen. She didn't want to see her husband get hurt. But he already called the challenge. Once Sargon accepted, there was no turning back. Sargon's grin widened.

"And the terms?" he asked. Derek didn't have to think for a moment.

"If I win," he spoke, "you and your army must leave this kingdom, go back across the seas to your own kingdom, and never return." He said this with such seriousness in his voice that Sargon couldn't help but grin at him.

"I accept these terms," he said. "And we shall fight unarmed as well." Derek hesitated at first, knowing that this was going to be one of the toughest fights of his life, but reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Aren't you going to name your terms as well?" he asked. Sargon grinned at him.

"Why ruin the fun with that?" Derek narrowed his eyes further at the thought of this being a game to him. But he reluctantly kept silent. But then Derek realized he had no armor on where as his opponent had a full suite of armor. He was about to speak up about it when Sargon raised both hands above his head.

"But first let me change into something more comfortable." He brought both hands down in a swift motion and a blast of light surrounded him. Derek covered his eyes until the light faded away. Derek looked back at the Dark lord to see an entire new outfit. Sargon wore a white loose outfit with a black belt around his waist. The top part looked like a small robe with the sleeves ripped off that exposed his well toned arms. The pants he wore were very baggy and reached just above his ankles. He also didn't wear anything on his feet. Derek had never seen this type of style of clothing before and found it strange. Sargon saw the look on his face and explained.

"This outfit is called a Gi," he said as he gestured to his clothing. "The outfit is designed to let the wearer move freely as he fights. It is also very light and strong and not very easily torn. I picked this up on one of my many conquests across the seas." He then moved into a stance that Derek also had never seen before. Sargon moved his right foot out in front with his left foot back with his toes facing out. He also moved his right arm out in a downward position with his left fist in front of his chest. (A/N: if you're a martial artist you'll know what I'm talking about.)

"Ready when you are," Sargon said with a sly grin. Derek took his own fighting stance, simply stepping with his right foot forward and both fists in front of his face. Sargon examined his stance. _Not bad_, he thought,_ but let's see what this little prince has to offer_. With that Sargon attacks, almost catching Derek by surprise. Sargon leaped forward throwing a quick jab at Derek's head. Derek manages to dodge the attack by only an inch. He recovers only to have more jabs thrown at him. Derek blocks them as best he could and throws a few punches of his own. Sargon blocking and dodges them effortlessly. After Derek threw one more punch with his left fist, Sargon caught it right, brought it passed him to grab it with his left, and then threw a punch with his right fist again, all in one quick motion. Sargon's fist hit home and Derek staggered back, dazed by the blow. Sargon advanced forward and did a spinning back kick to Derek's stomach, knocking the air completely out of him and caused him to drop to his knees. Sargon straightened up and walked towards Derek. He looked down at him and smirked. Derek, who was still on the ground catching his breath, looked up at his opponent. This was not turning out well. The fight had practically just begun and he was knocked to the ground while Sargon looked like he wasn't even trying. But Derek wasn't about to give up just yet. He stood up ready to continue the fight. Sargon grinned at him and beckoned him to come forward. Derek, after finally regaining his breath, advanced towards Sargon.

Right when he was in range, Derek threw a right roundhouse kick to Sargon's left side, but Sargon blocked it easily. But then Derek performed a left roundhouse kick to Sargon's right side a one quick motion. Sargon was caught off guard for a quick moment before he recovered quick enough to block Derek's right hook. Derek began to throw all sorts of combinations at Sargon and Sargon was blocking all of them. Derek threw one more right hook and actually managed to land a blow on Sargon's right cheek. Sargon staggered a bit and looked at Derek with narrowed eyes. Derek, after finally landing a hit, was feeling much more confident in this fight. This time Sargon advanced towards Derek and began throwing combinations of his own. Derek, this time was the one blocking most of Sargon's attacks with a little ease. Sargon managed to land a few hits here and there but Derek was managing to hold his own.

As the Two were fighting in the middle of the room, Odette and the others watched on like everyone else in the room. Odette was amazed at how well her husband was doing against this new villain. She had never seen Derek fight so well before. She was actually confident that Derek could win this. She looked over to her right at Jacob to see how he was feeling about the fight. But what she in his face wasn't a look of confidence, but a look of anger and concern. Odette wondered why he looked like this. Her Husband was doing well against her brother, so what was he concerned about.

"What's the matter Jacob?" Odette asked. Jacob didn't answer at first but kept staring at Derek and Sargon as the fight continued. He seemed to be completely focused on what was going on. He almost didn't answer again when Odette called his name again.

"Yes Odette?" he finally answered.

"What's the matter?" she repeated her question. Jacob was confused by her question.

"What do you mean?" Odette pointed to the middle of the room.

"I mean, don't you think that Derek is doing well?" she answered. "I mean, he might win this." Jacob looked back out at the two fighting in the middle of the room. By this time Derek had just managed to land another hit on Sargon's left side with a kick. Jacob frowned at this.

"Yes he's doing well," he replied. "But that's the problem."

Odette turned quickly around at Jacob. "What do you mean?" she asked. Uberta, whom was listening in, decided to speak up as well.

"What on earth are you talking about?" she said sternly. "My son is the best there is in any kingdom around. I'm absolutely sure he can whip the villain's buttocks in no time." Jacob turned his head slightly at Odette and Uberta.

"I mean that Derek is doing too well." Jacob nodded out towards the middle of the room. "Look carefully at how Sargon is fighting." Odette followed his gaze. "I know Sargon well enough to know his techniques. And this isn't it." Odette looked hard at Derek and Sargon. She really didn't understand what Jacob meant by this. Derek may have taught her a bit of hand-to-hand combat, but she still wasn't much of a fighter to understand. But she knew that Derek was fighting at his fullest. And he seemed to be having the upper hand.

"He's letting him win," said another voice. Odette and Jacob turned around and saw Phillip and Joshua standing behind them. Odette looked at him questioningly.

"What do you mean 'letting him win'?" she asked. Phillip looked past them with a serious look.

"I mean he's letting him feel like he's winning," he answered. He pointed to the other side of the room with the horde of Goblins. "Look at all the Goblins back there." Odette looked to where Phillip was pointing. She looked carefully and saw it. Every one of the Goblins was smiling wickedly. Not one looking concerned for their master. It was then she realized that Jacob and Phillip were right. And Derek was in danger. She turned to Jacob.

"Then what are we going to do?" she asked with great concern. "Derek is in danger. We have to do something." Jacob just kept his gaze on the fight in front of them. Even though he didn't show it, he was extremely worried about Derek.

"There's nothing we can do," was all he said. Odette's eye widened at what he said. But before she could say anything, she heard another punch being landed. She looked at the center of the room. Apparently Derek hand landed another right hook on Sargon's left cheek. Sargon stepped back a couple of feet with his face looking towards the ground while he panted, his hair covering most of his face. Odette looked over at Derek who was panting also. Derek still had his right hand out after landing another blow. Both Derek and Sargon stood where they were for a few moments. Everything seemed quiet. Then Sargon smiled and his panting stopped. Derek, who was still panting, stood up a little, wondering why Sargon was smiling.

"I think it's time to play for real now," Sargon said as he lifted his head and brushed his hair out of his face. Derek's eyes widened a little at what he heard.

_What does he mean "play for real",_ Derek thought to himself. _Was he just fooling around with me this whole time? _Now it all made sense. Sargon was able to catch an arrow without even looking at it, but his reactions were slower during the fight? How could he not have seen this? The thought of being made a fool of was driving him mad. But he had to calm himself. There was no point in getting mad over it now. He had to focus on the fight ahead. He quickly returned to his fighting stance from before. Sargon went back to his own fighting stance as well as Derek stood ready for whatever Sargon's next move might be. Then Sargon made the first move.

Sargon had launched himself forward at astonishing speed. Before Derek could even react, Sargon landed a punch square center of Derek's face, sending him off his feet and back a few feet. He landed with a loud thud and skidded to a halt. Derek was sure that his nose was broken after that and the pain was incredible. But he wasn't about to give up. But before he could even try to get up, Sargon grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted him up off the ground. He then threw Derek behind him with great force, sending Derek off the ground again. This time Sargon appeared in front of Derek before he landed. In one quick motion, Sargon lifted his leg up high and brought it down upon Derek's chest with a lot of force behind it, causing the floor to crack on impact. But Sargon wasn't done yet. He picked up Derek by the collar and threw him high into the air. Sargon once again appeared out of nowhere above Derek and pushed both feet down on Derek's torso causing both of them to descend towards the floor with great force. At the last moment, Sargon jumped off Derek so that he would be the one to hit the ground hard.

The floor cracked on impacted and a cloud of dust rose up while Sargon landed gracefully on his feet three meters in front of the crowd before him. Sargon turned his head slightly to look behind him at the damage he had caused. The cloud of dust began to dissipate and all that was there was a motionless body in the middle of the room. Sargon smiled and turned fully around and began to walk towards the motionless form.

Everyone in the room was in shock, even Jacob. He had never seen anyone move that fast in their lives. How was that even possible? Seeing this caused the people in the room to sit in shock, and also fear. Jacob couldn't believe what just happened. He may be a master at martial arts, but he was not that good. And appearing in mid air the way he did before his finishing move was impossible. But then he remembered that Sargon possessed the forbidden arts. He could do anything he pleased. And this made Sargon all the more terrifying.

Odette stood motionless in shock. Her husband lied still in the middle of the room. She wasn't sure if he was still breathing after what had just happened. And she feared it more than anything. She wanted to run out and be with her husband but her feet wouldn't move. She wanted to scream but her throat was dry. She couldn't do anything right there. She wanted to believe that this was just a dream, that none of this was really happening. But she knew it was all too real. Then finally she could feel her feet again and broke out into a run towards Derek. But she didn't get far because Jacob grabbed her wrist and held her back. Odette began to struggle against him. Uberta tried to run towards her son as well but was restrained by Joshua.

"There's nothing you can do Odette!" he said. But Odette continued to struggle. "If you go out there it could violate the agreement of the challenge and those creatures will use it as an excuse to slaughter us all." But his words were falling on deaf ears because she continued to struggle. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she tried to reach her beloved. She was determined to reach him no matter what. Uberta tried to run towards her son as well but was restrained by Joshua.

"You're Highness, please," he said trying to calmer. "You must calm down. We mustn't get involved in this yet."

By this time Sargon had reached Derek's still form. He kneeled down and examined the body carefully, then grinned.

"He's still alive," he said. Odette immediately stopped struggling. She looked on at the scene before her with hope. Derek was still alive, but how badly was he injured? Sargon then stood up.

"That's good," he said. "That means I get to deliver one more final blow." He then raised his left foot over Derek's head.

"NO!" Odette screamed as she finally broke free of Jacob's grip and ran towards them. She had to do something to stop this. She couldn't let this happen, not again. She just couldn't lose another loved one. She had to stop this nightmare, even if she had to die herself. But then two figures flew past her towards Sargon. It was Puffin and Whizzer.

They flew right past Odette to try and save Derek. Sargon turned slightly and was caught by surprise by the attack. Puffin and Whizzer both zoomed in and rammed Sargon on his forehead, causing him to stumble back. Then Puffin and Whizzer, slightly regretting ramming him with their foreheads, took advantage of his disorientation and began pecking at his head. Sargon tried using his powers to destroy the pesky but couldn't focus enough to aim correctly. Every time he tried to fire and fireball at them they would dodge it quickly and continue pecking his head. Odette was surprised at what was happening and smiled at the scene. Then she saw that Speed was joining in by using his shell to slide across the floor. Taking advantage of the confusion, Speed slide his shell under Sargon's feet, causing him to slip and fall hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Puffin and Whizzer continued to peck his head while spend crawled up and started biting Sargon's legs.

Odette was giggling at the scene when she saw Jean-Bob running to join the chaos yelling while welding… a wooden spoon? Jean-Bob ran towards his comrades and began to beat Sargon on the chest with the spoon. Everyone in the room began to laugh at how the animals were making a fool out of the Dark Lord. It was a pleasant turn of events. Even Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua were laughing quite loudly. The Goblins, on the other hand, had no idea what to do. They weren't the smartest of creatures. They normally followed the orders of the Dark Lord on what to do. But this spectacle was new. Should they help their master or let him handle things himself. Usually that's how their master handled thing. Fighting battles was their specialty, but watching animals beat their master was something entirely new. Even Krugnor, who was Sargon's best warrior and general, wasn't sure if he should get involved with this matter.

Sargon was becoming quite annoyed with these animals. Two birds were pecking at his head, a turtle was biting his legs, and a stupid frog was hitting him with a spoon. This kind of humiliation was not tolerable. But he couldn't destroy them. Not yet at least. He had plans that would humiliate these pests and cause Odette a great amount of pain. But he just had to wait a little longer. They would be here soon.

Puffin and Whizzer kept on pecking away; with Puffin occasionally did a kung fu move every now and then. Whizzer, with his long and thin beck, was able to quickly hit the spots where Sargon couldn't protect fully. Jean-Bob kept beating his chest with the spoon and speed kept on biting. This continued for a few moments, then suddenly Puffin and Whizzer felt something slam against their necks and pinned them to the ground. Jean-Bob and Speed stopped for a moment when they, themselves, were simultaneously slammed to the ground. Speed was pushed away and slid a couple of feet away. He was about to get up when he was slammed back down. Jean-Bob was knocked to the ground face first then felt a great amount of pressure on his back. Sargon, bruised slightly, sat up a little.

"About time you three showed up," Sargon said. "These pests were beginning to annoy me."

"I'm sorry master," said the figure holding down Puffin and Whizzer. Its voice was deep and shrill and sounded like more of a hiss when it spoke. Both Whizzer and Puffin were struggling against their captor.

"Unhand us this minute you vile fiend!" shouted Puffin as he and Whizzer struggled continuously.

"I command you to get off me this instant!" Jean-Bob ordered as he tried to push of the floor. "This is no way to treat a prince!" Speed didn't say anything but tried to push off the ground as well.

"Ha! A prince you say?" the figure on top of Jean-Bob said sarcastically. "Well my apologies my prince." Even though Jean-Bob couldn't see it, he felt the villain on top of him bow in mockery.

"And what is this?" said the figure standing on Speed. Its voice was deep and threatening. "Your personal servant?" Speed lifted his head out of his shell to get a good look at who was standing on his shell. What he saw both shocked and frightened him. It was a large, black alligator snapping turtle, three times the size of him. Puffin and Whizzer also looked up to see a very large silver eagle standing above them with its talons around their throats. Jean-Bob turned his head as much as he could to see who was on him. He was surprised to see a large horned toad sitting on his back.

Odette, who had been watching the scene the whole time, was greatly surprised at this new turn of events. Her animal friends had been pinned down by other animals. Not only that, but they were servants of the Dark lord. Was this what he was waiting for? Yes, it had to be. He could have incinerated them anytime he wanted. But instead he waited for more of his servants to come and do the job for him. Upon this realization, Odette began to fear the worst for her animal friends and Derek.

Everything was turning into a nightmare. Her kingdom was invaded, her people were terrorized, her animal friends are in danger, and her beloved husband is lying on the ground uncurious, and probably dying. And there was literally nothing she could do to stop anything. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice Sargon standing up. He looked at Odette and grinned wickedly.

"What?" he asked. "You didn't think that you were the only one with animal friends did you?" He turned towards his animal servants. "Razor, Aquila, Balthazar, take care of these pests would you?" Sargon commanded. "And have fun with it."

"Yes my master," answered Razor, the eagle.

"As you wish my Lord," replied Balthazar, the alligator snapping turtle.

"No problem boss," Brutus, the horned toad, said. And with that their fun began. Razor spread his wings and took off into the air with Puffin and Whizzer still in his talons. Once high in the air, he performed a loop-de-loop once around and threw the two birds towards the ground. Fortunately both Puffin and Whizzer managed to recover before hitting the ground. They flew up side by side to meet their opponent.

"Alright Whizzer," Puffin said. "This may be our toughest fight yet. But this is also our chance to prove ourselves. We have the advantage, there's two of us and one of him. We can win this." Whizzer nodded in agreement.

"Yes sir," he responded. They both took off towards the enemy in front of them as impressive speed. But Razor evaded their attack easily. Puffin and Whizzer flew high flew past Razor and looped above him and dived down. Again Razor dodged. As Puffin and Whizzer were turned around and ascended towards him, Razor turned around and flew away; making the two birds pursue him. Razor wanted to make this fight as fun as possible. These two seemed to have excellent flying skills. He wanted to see just what their made of. They flew around the room as astonishing speed. Twisting and turning and flying around the pillars of the room. They even flew just over the peoples' heads.

As Puffin and Whizzer were chasing Razor, Speed and Jean-Bob were dealing with their enemies. Brutus had let Jean-bob back up and even gave him his spoon back. Jean-bob swung the spoon as hard and as fast as he could, but he just couldn't hit his target. Brutus was too fast for the little frog.

Speed was doing much worse than his friends were. Speed was upside down while Balthazar was spinning him like a top. After a few more moments, Balthazar swung his tail, sending Speed across the floor like a hockey puck. Speed bounced off the wall and came sliding right back to Balthazar. He repeated this like it was nothing but a game.

Jean-Bob was starting to get tired. His arms started to get heavy as he swung his spoon. Then Jean-bob swung one final, but Brutus grabbed the spoon and ripped it from Jean-Bob's grip. In that same moment, Brutus kicked his leg up, hitting Jean-Bob below the chin, sending him up in the air. And with his strong leg, though he wasn't a frog, Brutus jumped up and performed a front-flip, using the momentum to bring his heel down upon the poor frog. Jean-Bob hit the floor with a loud thud as he bounced off the floor. Somehow recovering from this, Jean-bob stood up as quick as he could and took off running. Brutus only laughed at the frog's actions.

"Awe, done already?" Brutus taunted. He then gave chase. "Come back here you wimp." But Jean-bob just kept running, maneuvering around, and the tables to get away.

Odette watched on as her animal friends fought hard. She couldn't take the sight of her closest friends being beaten like this. But what could she do? Like Jacob said, if she were to intervene, the Goblins would use it as an excuse to kill them all. But she had faith in her friends. And right now, all she could do is pray for them.

Razor, after finally having enough fun messing with the birds, decided to slow down a little to let his pursuers catch up. Then once they were close enough, Razor suddenly stopped and spun in the air and hit Both Puffin and Whizzer with his talons. They both began to descend towards the ground before regaining themselves. Both hurt badly and bleeding slightly, they decided to change tactics. They glanced at one another, nodded, and took off in different directions. The quickly flew towards Razor from opposite directions, each moving from one side to the other and switch vantage points to deliver a well aimed blow. But Razor just stayed where he was in the air, waiting and grinning. Puffin and Whizzer were approaching quickly. Then they suddenly quickened their speed and made a straight dash towards Razor from opposite sides, both getting closer to their target. But at the very last second, Razor dropped down from the sky, causing Puffin and Whizzer to collide with one another. The impact caused both birds to lose consciousness and fall ten meters to the floor, each landing with a loud thud.

Jean-Bob was on the buffet tables trying to hide in the assortments and dishes from the large toad. At the moment, he was trying to hide behind a turkey platter with the lid on top. Jean-Bob was slowly and quietly sneaking around the dish to avoid being seen. But he was growing nervous because, even though he couldn't see Brutus, doesn't mean that he wasn't close by. And that fact alone was setting his nerves on edge. He slowly made his way around the turkey dish, with his back against the lid. Then he felt it move suddenly, causing him to jump away. He turned around to look at the dish. He looked around it, expecting Brutus to come from around or above it. He wasn't expecting the lid to suddenly flip open.

"Surprise!" Brutus shouted as he appeared from under the lid and tackled Jean-Bob, causing them both to fall off the table. But it was Jean-Bob that was landed on. Brutus stood up and looked down at the beaten little frog. Brutus chuckled a little at the sight. He picked up Jean-Bob by his neck and threw him towards the two fallen birds in the middle of the room. Jean-Bob hit the ground and slid to a stop next to his friends.

Balthazar looked behind him and saw that his comrades were done playing and wacked Speed across the floor with the rest of the small animals. Speed hit his friends at a fast past and they all slid across the floor a few feet. They were all conscious, but in incredible pain. They lay on the ground around one another as the three servants on Sargon gathered together around the fallen four. Puffin, Whizzer, Speed, and Jean-bob looked up that the three that had beaten them.

"Well boys," said Puffin to his friends. "We all did well today. Let us go out with our dignity. No fear."

"No fear," Whizzer and Speed said in unison. Jean-Bob, however, didn't say anything at the moment. He hated that phrase ever since that blasted puffin uttered those words. Every time he said them, Jean-Bob wanted nothing more than to stuff the bird's head in. But now was different. He finally began to understand the phrase he hated so much. What it meant to show no fear. He finally understood.

"No fear," Jean-Bob said. And he smiled, as did the rest of his friends. Razor, Brutus, and Balthazar stood above their prey, ready to strike. Razor spread his wings and flew just above Puffin and Whizzer with his talons ready. Balthazar opened his mouth and placed it over Speed's neck. Brutus lifted his right leg over Jean-Bob's head. _This was the end_, the frog thought to himself. This time he wasn't shaken with fear. He was still smiling as he closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.

Odette watched on as she saw her friends on the ground and about to be killed. She couldn't take this. She was not going to see her closest friends and her husband die. She began to run towards her friends, hoping to stop it in time.

"Enough," Sargon said at the last moment, causing Odette to stop in her tracks. Razor, Brutus, and Balthazar all look upon their master with a little confusion. "Leave the beasts to their fate. I have unfinished business with my sister." His three servants obeyed without question and backed off towards the rest of the army. Sargon looked at Odette and grinned. Then he began to walk towards her. Odette began to grow fearful now. She didn't know what was to become of her. Only that he wanted her soul. She took a few steps back as Sargon drew closer. At this time, Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua stepped in between him and Odette ready to fight.

"Don't you dare take one more step closer to her!" Jacob shouted. But Sargon just kept walking. Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua stood ready, but then they felt a great force push them away as Sargon swept them aside with his powers. They were all pushed back a few feet till they were at the feet of the crowd behind them.

"No more playing around," he said. "I wasted too much time here already." He drew closer to Odette as she backed away. But Sargon raised his right hand, and then suddenly she couldn't move. She was completely helpless as Sargon approached her with a maniacal grin. He reached his hand out to her.

"Finally," he said aloud. "Eternal youth is mine!" He laughed maniacally. It was a laugh that would send chills down the bravest man's spine. Sargon laugh loud and hard at his success. His goal was almost complete. Everything couldn't be more perfect. He was finally going to rule the world. His hand reached closer to Odette. But then he stopped. His wicked grin turned into a frown. Something was wrong, he could sense it. But what could it be?

Odette stood helpless as she watched the Dark Lord just stand then for a moment. She notice something was off when Sargon suddenly stopped and his face dropped. Her heart was pounding as she waited for something to happen. The tension was too much for her and she closed her eyes. Then she felt something on her stomach. She opened her eyes and looked down. Sargon's hand rested on her stomach. She quickly looked up at Sargon. She could see a small trace of a smile.

"Ah," he said. "So that's the problem." He looked up at his sister. "Looks like you're off the hook, sis." Sargon took his hand off Odette's stomach. "It seems I won't be needing your soul after all." He released his hold on her as she dropped to the ground. She looked up at her brother.

"What?" she asked. Sargon smiled and turned around and began walking away.

"Your soul is no longer of any use to me," he said. He a quick hand motion and appeared in his armor again. He made his towards his army as one of his Goblins brought him his large black steed. He took his horse and climbed on. "But don't worry," he continued, "We're still not done yet. I'm thinking of making this a little more fun. So I'm giving you time to prepare. But in nine months time, be sure to expect company, and not just from me." And with that, he turned his horse around and rode out of the castle doors with his Goblin army following behind.

Everyone in the room was confused on what just transpired. Why did the Dark Lord suddenly turn away and leave? Jacob, Uberta, Phillip, and Joshua all walked towards Odette, who was on her knees facing the floor. They all gathered around her, wondering if she was all right. Odette's mind was running a million miles an hour. Why did he just suddenly let her go when he had her in his grasp? And what did he mean when he said in nine months time to expect company? She was having a hard time piecing these things together. Then she remembered something: 'Nine months'. Then something else clicked when she remembered Sargon's hand on her stomach. She didn't realize she had just placed her own hand on her stomach. Then it all made sense as she brought her hands to her face and began to cry.

_ I'm pregnant!_

**A/N: Whoa, talk about a twist huh? Again, SOOOOOO sorry about the long ass update. I'll try to update sooner. But things are a little tight right now. But I promise I will not give up on this story. Please leave a review and tell me what you think and what you may want to see in this story. Thanks :)**


End file.
